


Under His Bed

by HoneyWoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angel/Human Relationships, Angst, Awkward Mark Lee (NCT), Background Relationships, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Guardian Angel Kim Jungwoo, Guardian Angels, Happy Ending, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, Loss of Innocence, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Markwoo, Med Student Mark Lee (NCT), Mild Sexual Content, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Roommates, Secrets, Strangers to Lovers, Sweet Mark Lee (NCT), University Student Mark Lee, Wholesome, excessive touching, like a lot of touching, mark can't take his hands off of jungwoo, mark's hormones are raging, maybe some questionable situations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23209438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyWoo/pseuds/HoneyWoo
Summary: Why did Mark's guardian angel magically wind up under his bed, and who told him to fall perfectly into Mark's crush category?
Relationships: Kim Jungwoo/Mark Lee (NCT)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 128





	1. What are you?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello reader!  
> I truly hope that you enjoy this story, and thank you for giving it a chance!  
> \- Honeywoo💚

Mark was more than scared.

The eighteen-year-old boy was curled up in the middle of his bed, his comforter pulled up all the way over his head. He swore that a moment ago, there was a loud _thump_ resounding from under his bed.

This wasn’t the first time that his sleep had been interrupted in this way. Almost every night, something would create a tremendous racket right in the middle of his slumber, only to silence itself the moment Mark jolted awake. And no matter how tidy Mark’s room was, the night disturbances would somehow manage to return.

Mark considered moving out, but he couldn’t, as the only other apartments available were located much further away from his university than he wanted, and on top of that, their rent prices were off the charts.

 _Thump._ There it was again, and Mark had the fleeting thought that a terrifying being was living right beneath him. It would wait patiently, its fangs bared, for Mark to swing his ankles over the edge of the bed, and before Mark would have the chance to scream, it would snatch him with its gnarled hands and drag him down into the underworld.

Although it seemed childish for Mark to think so, more often than not, children’s tales did carry _some_ truth beneath their thick layers of fantasy. But hopefully, there wasn't actually a beast underneath his mattress, twiddling its thumbs and fantasizing of the countless ways in which it would cook him alive.

Mark reached under his pillow for his phone. Looking at its shiny, rigid edge, he figured that it would make a decent self-defense tool.

Suddenly, a hiccup emerged from underneath the mattress, and Mark shuddered. It was high-pitched, soft, _human,_ and sounded as though the perpetrator had a hand over their mouth, trying their best not to be heard.

The thought of someone under his bed sent icy shivers down Mark's spine. But tossing aside his thoughts, he held his breath, clutched his phone in hand and emerged from the blankets and leaned over the edge of his bed. Swiftly, he clicked the flashlight on at full intensity, illuminating the entire floor.

It took a few seconds for Mark’s eyes to adjust to the blinding light, and he had to blink a couple of times before he could focus on the light-blue and gold bundle laying in front of him.

No matter how Mark looked at it, it was definitely _someone_. Mark's heart began to palpitate in his chest as he analyzed the stranger.

Curled up tightly on the floor was a boy his age wearing pale blue pajamas, covering his face with his hands, so that the only thing Mark could see was his fluffy golden hair crowning his face in a bowl haircut. It didn’t take long for Mark to notice that the stranger was sobbing. Tears streamed down his cheeks and in-between his fingers, shimmering in the light from his phone.

A protective instinct arose in Mark’s heart. He almost forgot how uncanny the whole situation was, and had to suppress the feeling before he could speak, but the stranger beat him to it.

"I can explain."

The stranger’s voice was a mere squeak within a series of violent hiccups, and Mark was instantly curious as to why he was crying so much. Mark frowned and brought the flashlight closer to the stranger’s face, forcing him to avert his already covered face from the dazzling light.

“Please do. I'm interested to hear your excuse for trespassing into someone's apartment at _midnight_.”

Mark felt himself get dizzy from hanging off the edge of his bed for so long. “But before that, stay right there. I’m going to switch on the lamp.” He declared, rolling back onto the bed, but hesitated before swinging his ankles off the edge.

“Please _don't_ grab my ankles and trip me over." Mark stated. 

The stranger’s voice was laced with disbelief. "Do you really think I would do that?"

Mark cleared his throat. "Well, I don’t know you. You could be that type for all I know.”

“Do I look it?” The stranger mumbled under his breath along with something else.

Mark shrugged, not realizing that the boy couldn't see him, and took off his flashlight before sliding off his bed to flick the lamp switch on. A pleasant orange light filled the room and softened the tension in the air, which was almost palpable. Mark took a cross-legged seat on the floor next to his desk, and gestured with his hand for the stranger to come out from his hiding place.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Carefully, the stranger crawled out from his hiding place and sat on his heels, a respectful distance away from Mark. He slipped a golden handkerchief out from his shirt pocket and turned away from Mark as he dabbed away the tears rolling down his face. He pocketed the handkerchief and turned towards Mark, then diverted his gaze, lowering his head like a child caught red-handed stealing cookies from the cookie-jar after bedtime.

“Is it invasive of me to ask why you’re crying?” Mark asked, propping up his chin with his hand.

The boy sighed, still not making a proper effort to face Mark. “No, because I have to tell you regardless if you ask or not.” He said.

Mark hummed, interested. “Okay. I'm all ears.”

The stranger nodded. “Good. But first, please give me a moment to collect my thoughts.” He said, raising his head, and for the first time, Mark got a full view of his face. He was celestially beautiful, and the realization hit Mark like a freight train.

Mark felt his body heat up, and the tingling sensation of goosebumps swept over his skin. It was as though the stranger was a siren, and Mark was the unfortunate sailor. No amount of willpower could peel Mark’s eyes away from him, and the more he stared, the deeper he would be drawn into him, completely oblivious to the fact that he was sailing straight towards his demise.

Even though Mark wasn’t going to die from his excessive staring, the pretty stranger would think that he was a weirdo, which seemed just as terrible as dying. 

Mark's gaze dropped to the stranger’s lips. They were the color of roses in the height of spring, and looked unbelievably soft. Even his nose was pretty, although reddened from crying, and his eyes were the color of fresh honey, and inside them swirled a mixture of sorrow, bashfulness and some other obscure sentiments. Mark tried to decipher the vague messages swimming around in them, but it was getting harder and harder to look the stranger in the eyes.

Suddenly, Mark had the innate suspicion that something was off. Maybe the stranger wasn’t all that he seemed to be.

And unfortunately, he was right.

To his utmost terror, the stranger’s irises began to change color, igniting with a brilliant, powerful golden light.

Instantly, Mark's voice hitched in his throat and something yanked painfully in his chest, as if a freshly sharpened blade had suddenly been plunged into his heart.

He attempted to crawl away from the stranger, but all of his efforts were in vain. His entire body was fixed to the floor where he sat, immobilized, as if he had been turned to stone. The only thing Mark could do was look on, and be at the mercy of whoever sat in front of him.

The stranger only watched Mark innocently as he struggled to move, and it was clear that he was bewitching him on purpose. Any sign of him having been emotional had died away, and the left corner of his mouth had subtly curved upwards into a smirk, as if he was amused by Mark's powerlessness.

The stranger’s outline began to glow, and his golden light enveloped the room. The walls began to hum with energy, and the floor began to vibrate intensely under their feet. The empty glass on the desk shook vigorously and threatened to fall. It was a terrifying, magical earthquake, all contained by the four walls of Mark’s bedroom.

Mark suddenly felt to pass out, but before he could, the stranger absorbed the electricity he had emitted into the room and subsequently dimmed, re-assuming his state as the simple, non-luminous boy that he had been before.

As everything reverted to normal, a tranquilizing aura of peace and calm permeated the air, and Mark gradually regained control over his body.

But instead of running out of his apartment to never return, Mark remained where he sat, his full attention on the stranger, staring at him with shock and admiration.

“Much better.” The stranger said to himself, taking a deep breath in, a relieved smile plastered on his face.

“What the hell did you just do?” Mark blurted out.

The stranger frowned. “The _hell_? Heaven is the word you’re looking for.” He said and smiled guiltlessly.

Mark felt his face drain of color. “What, are you God or something?” He said.

The stranger burst into laughter and clasped his hands over his heart, as if Mark had made the funniest joke of the century. The sound doused Mark’s body with an overbearing sense of happiness, flooding out the terror that had seized it seconds before.

Now, Mark no longer cared whether he was being laughed at or not. He found himself too busy gawking over how lovely the stranger looked as he giggled, rosy-cheeked and full of amusement. If he wasn't God, Mark might've actually been disappointed.

The stranger’s laughter subdued, and he flipped his bangs into place with a graceful head movement. The sight made Mark feel giddy.

“I’m an angel.” He said, his voice lowering slightly as he continued. "And if you're wondering about my wings, they're hidden away."

Mark hummed in understanding. He was spell-bound once again, and forgot to filter his thoughts before they left his mouth. “I could’ve guessed you were one, even without the wings. Your face screams angel.”

The angel gasped, appeased by Mark’s blatant flattery. He grinned at Mark playfully, locking eyes with him. "I would sure hope it does.”

Mark felt as though the angel was reading his mind as he looked at him. But he couldn’t care less. He stared back at him, dazed and smiling like an idiot.

He didn’t overdo it, of course, in the case that the angel would take offense to it. Offending an angel was the last thing Mark wanted to do. He was not going to meet his end by fire and brimstone.

“What do the other angels call you?” Mark asked, propping up his chin with both hands, absentmindedly ogling the angel in front of him, even though he had just told himself not to.

The angel dropped his gaze onto his hands, which were neatly folded in his lap. The question seemed to have made him a bit shy. “They call me Jungwoo.” He said.

“That's a pretty name.” Mark blurted out, sounding way more enthusiastic than he had intended.

Panicking, he decided to back-pedal. “But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a boot-licker or anything. Your name is pretty, that’s just how it is, and I don’t make the rules.”

“Thanks, Mark.” Jungwoo said, smiling, basking in the compliments that Mark was generously dishing out to him. Mark flinched at the mention of his name.

“You know my name.” Mark said nervously.

Jungwoo chuckled light-heartedly. “Of course I know your name. I know it just as well as mine. I’m your _guardian angel_ , you know.”

Mark’s face lit up in awe. "Wow. I didn’t know my guardian angel would be-” He paused, his words frozen at the tip of his tongue.

Once again, he had spoken impulsively, and it was a good thing that he had stopped himself before it was too late. But now, he didn't know what to say instead.

Jungwoo tilted his head to the side and furrowed his brows, anticipating what Mark had to say.

“Be?”

Mark felt his face heat up in embarrassment and cast his gaze down into his lap. “Uh, I forgot what I was going to say.” He said.

Which was a lie. He had been on the brink of calling the angel _hot,_ to his face. Mark glanced up awkwardly at Jungwoo, whose irises began to glow gold once again, and he didn't look particularly _happy_.

Mark felt his body go numb, and the image of himself getting struck by lightning burned behind his eyelids.

Great _going, Mark._ He thought. _Your hormones are about to get you smited by an angel before you finish freshman year._

“I swear it was something good!” Mark almost yelled, making Jungwoo flinch. “I-I didn’t think the word I had was good enough to describe you. That's all.”

Jungwoo’s expression melted and his eyes faded back to brown. “Okay, that's understandable.” He replied half-believingly.

Mark took in a breath of relief. He actually managed to save his skin. But he couldn't understand where he had gotten the audacity to even try to flirt with the angel. He never mindlessly flirted with anyone, so why did it happen for the first time in the presence of a heavenly being?

Yes, Jungwoo was perfectly captivating, and maybe Mark was developing a crush on him, but still, he was acting as though he was smack in the middle of puberty instead of acting as an adult. Mark stopped staring into space and cleared his throat. He needed to change the topic.

“So, uh, do you want to have some tea with me?” Mark asked.

That wasn't much of an improvement, but thankfully the angel took it as hospitality. The invitation instantly brought a delighted smile to Jungwoo’s face, and he nodded.

“Yes, thank you. And while we're at it, I'll explain to you why I’m here.”


	2. Strawberry Sugar Cubes

The small apartment kitchen was filled with the sweet aroma of chamomile tea, which arose in great plumes from the two little teacups placed on the counter. Mark carefully picked up both teacups and brought them over to the bar, where Jungwoo sat, crossing his ankles and waiting patiently until Mark was finished with the tea.

With a kind smile, Mark offered Jungwoo a cup, along with a coaster, which he accepted with both hands and a grateful look.

“I’m not sure if you take sugar.” Mark started.

He placed his own drink down, took out a packet of sugar-cubes from the pocket of his night-shirt and showed it to Jungwoo. “But if you do, I have some right here.”

Jungwoo’s smile widened and he nodded. “I’ll have it, thank you.” He said, gently plucking the packet from Mark’s hand and tore it open, only to eat one of the sugar-cubes. Mark watched him in slight amusement.

“I thought you were going to put it in your tea.” Mark said, taking his seat opposite Jungwoo at the counter, and Jungwoo grinned into his cup.

“I thought so too,” The angel said, “But once I read on the package that the sugar-cubes were strawberry-flavored, I decided to eat it straight.”

Mark chuckled. “Honestly, I’d do the same if there weren’t any other snacks around.”

He pulled out another pack of strawberry-flavored sugar cubes from his pocket and tore it open. He was about to pop one into his mouth, but Jungwoo contested, making Mark stop in his tracks, sugar-cube almost touching the tip of his tongue.

“Mark, you probably shouldn’t be having sugar right before bed.” Jungwoo warned.

Disappointed, Mark placed the sugar-cube on top of its packet on the table and began to complain. “But aren’t you going to sleep too? That’s not fair. Unless angels don’t sleep, then that’s understandable.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes pensively. “In fact, how do you angels even get by?”

Jungwoo’s expression suddenly brightened, as if he had just remembered something. He quickly reached into the single pocket of his nightshirt and extracted what seemed to be a folded up sheet of bronze parchment, and held it out to Mark, who peered at it in curiosity.

“I thought you’d ask. Please have this, everything you need to know is summarized on this.” He said.

Mark delicately took it from his hands, and for a slight moment, the tips of his fingers grazed against Jungwoo’s own, and he could’ve sworn that the angel’s skin was hotter than the boiling water he had used to make the tea.

What the normal body temperature of an angel was, Mark hadn’t a clue. Neither did he know how to address it to Jungwoo without being awkward, so he didn’t, and instead discreetly cleared his throat as he opened the paper.

Inscribed beautifully on the paper in golden ink, was a list of facts and guidelines about angels that was so long that Mark was astonished as to how it all fit on the small page. He read the first line, which read _‘Everything you need to know about Angels, abridged by your Guardian Angel, Jungwoo’_ , and beneath it stated _'_ _Angels when on Earth have various needs that must be fulfilled by the person they appear to, otherwise the High One will be displeased.’_

Mark reflexively held his breath. His hands were going to be full, and he was already struggling under the burden of school. He began to wonder, who had the bright idea of entrusting him with an angel?

 _1_. _Angels need to rest for at least eight hours a day, just like humans._

Mark snapped his gaze up at Jungwoo, who looked ready to answer any question he had to ask. “Sleep for at least eight hours? I only get six hours of rest if I’m lucky, and other than that it’s four.”

Jungwoo pursed his lips. “It’s about time we fix that. Not getting sufficient sleep will take a massive toll on your health if you keep that up.”

Mark sighed, grateful for the angel’s concern but skeptical that he could ever get so much sleep, especially as a university student. “I know, but I don’t think it’s practical – I mean - with all the studying and the mountains of assignments I have to do after school.”

To Mark's shock, Jungwoo burst out laughing, as if he found the predicament funny. The angel even took a moment to breathe before speaking.

“You don’t get _that_ much homework, and I know that as a fact. The real reason why you go to sleep so late is because you spend so much time watching memes on your phone.” Jungwoo laughed out.

Mark laughed, highly alarmed. “You didn’t have to call me out like that.”

“Sorry.” Jungwoo said, a triumphant look on his face as he brushed his blonde bangs out of his eyes. “But in order to solve a problem, we need to identify the root cause of it, don’t we?”

Mark, in defeat, took a sip of his tea. Jungwoo really didn’t leave him any choice other than to get rid of his bad habits. So long, his hours of scrolling mindlessly through social media for funny content.

“I believe so.” Mark mumbled.

Jungwoo brought his tea to his mouth, forgetting to blow the steam off before taking a sip. He abruptly recoiled as the hot drink burned his lip, and the sudden movement spilt some of the tea on the table. His face blushed beet red, and he gave Mark an awkward smile.

Having watched it all unfold, Mark looked at Jungwoo in amusement, relieved to see that angels weren’t immune from embarrassing situations. But instead of making fun of him, he decided to be considerate - considering who Jungwoo was - and gave him a tender smile.

“I’ll clean that up for you.” Mark suggested.

“You don’t have to.” Jungwoo said, his face reddening even more, his voice small from a sudden onset of shyness.

“No, I insist.”

Mark got up from his seat and grabbed a paper towel from the kitchen, returned to his seat and began wiping up the puddle of tea, chuckling as he did so.

“I hope you still have tea after that.” He joked, to which Jungwoo giggled and playfully swatted his arm. His embarrassment began to dwindle away, and Mark continued to humor him.

“What? I can easily make you some more, there’s still hot water on the stove.”

“No need. I’ll just take yours.” Jungwoo said teasingly, and Mark gawked at him, clearly unamused by his plan. He sighed heavily, exaggerating his disappointment.

“Well, I can’t say no to an angel, can I? I really was looking forward to my tea.”

Jungwoo laughed once again and shook his head. “Of course you can say no to me, but only if there’s a good enough reason behind it.” He lifted up his teacup, which was more than half-full. “And I won’t take away your tea. I have more than enough left in mine.”

“What a relief.” Mark said as he placed the damp paper towel into his palm. Before walking over to the nearby bin to throw it away, he gave Jungwoo a large, silly grin.

When he returned to his seat, Jungwoo was fidgeting with his hands and smiling in the direction of his tea instead of drinking it. He seemed to be daydreaming, and Mark found it rather endearing. He left the angel basking happily in his thoughts as he read through the rest of the points scribed on the bronze paper.

  1. _Angels require food and water, in slightly larger quantities than humans._
  2. _An angel needs the assurance that they are safe from harm at all times._



Mark’s eyes narrowed as they read number four on the sheet. He needed to verify it, so he read it out to Jungwoo, sorry to be snapping him out of his reverie. “Angels need at least three hours of human contact per day?”

Jungwoo nodded quickly. “Yes.”

“So, what would happen if you don’t get that?” Mark asked, and Jungwoo took a sip of his tea, which had cooled down.

“I don't know exactly, but something _bad_.” The angel said despondently.

Mark’s expression softened as he tried to meet Jungwoo’s eyes, which were focused on his hands, folded together on the tabletop. Bravely, Mark placed one of his hands on top of Jungwoo’s own (which had cooled down) and squeezed it gently, grabbing his attention, and mustered his kindest smile.

“I’ll make sure we don't figure that out.”

At that, Jungwoo lightened up almost instantly, and he gave Mark a small but appreciative smile, the stars in his eyes returning and glimmering softly. “Thank you, Mark.”

The two boys kept their gaze locked on each other for a few moments, sharing the same amicable expression on their faces. Mark slid his thumb over Jungwoo’s knuckles in a soothing circular motion and slowly moved his hand away when the angel was satisfied.

“How about we go get some sleep before it’s too late?” Mark suggested, before finishing the rest of his tea in one go. “We need to make sure you get your eight hours.”

Jungwoo hummed in thought, sipping the last bit of his own drink before placing it down carefully in front of him. “But I still have to explain why I’m here.”

Mark bit the side of his cheek, pausing for a moment. “That’s right, but I think it’ll do us both better if we postpone it to tomorrow, when we’re less tired.”

The angel nodded. "You have a point."

Mark collected both of their teacups and took them to the kitchen, washed them and returned to Jungwoo, who was still seated by the table, nibbling on the strawberry sugar-cube that Mark hadn’t been allowed to eat before bed. The angel quickly popped the cube into his mouth, hoping that Mark hadn’t noticed, but the guilty grin on his face was a dead give-away.

Mark shook his head playfully at Jungwoo, and pointed to the tell-tale grain of sugar on his bottom lip. “You have some sugar on your lip, you know.”

Jungwoo let out a short burst of laughter and swiped his lips with the back of his hand, missing the elusive grain of sugar on his lips.

“You missed it.” Mark said with a chuckle. “Let me get it for you.”

“Okay.” Jungwoo agreed, grateful for the help.

Mark bent forwards and delicately brought his hand to Jungwoo’s face to brush the sugar off his full bottom lip. It was only after Mark had pulled away, that he processed how close he had gotten to the beautiful angel, and a nervous panic began to set in.

“Well, there we go, and now we’re off to bed.” Mark announced, his cheeks tinting to a light shade of pink. Jungwoo nodded, quietly noticing his sudden change of mood. Mark distractedly walked ahead of Jungwoo and only came to his senses when the angel pulled slightly on the back of his shirt as they passed the bathroom. “We have to brush our teeth, Mark.”

“Oh right.”

*

Ten minutes later, the two had finished brushing their teeth and stood in the middle of Mark’s room, faced with a dilemma.

“I’ll give you the bed, and I’ll take the couch.” Mark told Jungwoo, who shook his head in protest.

“The couch isn’t a proper place for you to sleep. I’ll go there.”

Mark wasn't keen on allowing him to do as he proposed. He was brought up to treat guests better than himself, and even more so for a divine guest. “The couch is not a proper place for an _angel_ to sleep. I won’t sleep at all unless you take the bed.”

Jungwoo gave Mark a pleading look. “And _I_ won’t sleep at all unless _you_ take the bed.”

Mark sighed. Jungwoo wasn’t letting up, and they couldn’t both get what they wanted. No, there was a way. And it tumbled out of Mark’s mouth without him fully understanding the consequences.

“How about we both take the bed?”

Jungwoo watched Mark with wide eyes, slightly taken aback, and hesitated before nodding hastily. “I think that’s the best solution.”

Mark was thankful that the lighting in his room was dim, otherwise he was sure that Jungwoo would see him blushing fiercely as he thought about sharing a bed with him. “Alright, then. I’ll take off the lights and you can get into bed. I’ll join you in a bit.” He said rather quickly, his nervousness causing his voice to waver.

“Sounds good.” Jungwoo said, and padded over to the left side of Mark’s bed and got under the soft comforter, and by the time he did so, Mark had switched off the lights and took his place next to Jungwoo, and pulled the covers up to his chin. “Sweet dreams, Mark.” Jungwoo told Mark softly, laying down on his back.

“Yeah, sweet dreams.” Mark said.

He lay still in his bed, fully coming to the realization that there was someone else occupying it with him. As Jungwoo fell asleep, his calm aura seemed to become more powerful, and contrary to what Mark had previously expected, sleep came to him easily.


	3. Banana Milk

Mark stirred in his sleep, let out a small yawn and rolled over in his bed, reveling in the half-awake bliss that came with a good night’s rest. Reflexively, he stretched out his arm towards the left side of his bed, and his hand glided along the smooth linen sheets, and nothing else.

Where did Jungwoo go?

Mark jolted awake, his heart pounding fast in his chest, and glanced around the room for any sign of his guardian angel, or anything that could indicate that the reality of the last night’s events. Soon, his gaze fell on his nightstand, and on the neatly folded sheet of bronze paper laid out on its surface. Mark sighed in relief, shifting himself around to the edge of the bed to pick up the page and skimmed through its contents.

  1. _Angels need the faith of a human, especially of the one they are assigned to, otherwise the angel’s spirit will weaken._



What a weakened spirit meant, Mark wasn't exactly sure, but it didn’t sound good. Hopefully, he would never find out. There was never really a point of time when he actively doubted the existence of his guardian angel, and after last night, there certainly wasn’t going to be one. So, there wasn’t much need to worry.

  1. _If an angel on Earth does not get the proper treatment from a human, that human will be held accountable for their actions in Heaven._



Mark knew fully well the consequences of mistreating angels, from all the years of his parents sending him to Sunday School. But back then, he thought that angels would look like his mother, or his father, and he would treat them as such. Not once did he ever imagine an angel as a young man his age, and at that, one that fell perfectly into the crush category. But Mark wasn’t complaining. If anything, it made the visitation much more interesting than it should’ve been.

  1. _Angels need to be entertained, just like human guests, otherwise, the High one will be displeased._



Mark bit the inside of his cheek. It seemed as though he’d have to make a major change of plans to accommodate Jungwoo, but then again, not everyone was so lucky to even have an angel to accommodate. If he wanted to go to Heaven, he needed do his best to humor Jungwoo, even if it meant fasting from funny videos and not eating sugar past bedtime.

Inhaling deeply, Mark recollected his thoughts. Once he got his life together, he could successfully take care of the angel. And today was Sunday, and nothing was scheduled, so Mark could definitely use the day to accustom himself to his new lifestyle.

He got up from the edge of his bed and strolled out of his room, slipping into the bathroom to bathe, brush his teeth and get himself perfectly ready to start his day.

*

Mark exited the bathroom in a good mood, smiling to himself. The extra sleep had done him well, and he looked just as good as he felt. In the mirror, he was shocked to see that his skin was clear, and the dark circles under his eyes had completely disappeared. The angel had known exactly what Mark needed, and Mark didn’t feel too bad about shedding his bad habits anymore.

Nearby, the faint sound of glasses clicking together resonated from the kitchen, and Mark slinked over to the doorway and peered inside to see the angel he was looking for, humming happily to himself as he poured banana milk into two glasses, assumedly for both himself and Mark.

The sight of Jungwoo daydreaming brought a wide grin to Mark’s face, and he couldn’t determine whether it was the angel’s contagious joy or his charm that caused it. Or maybe it was because Jungwoo was wearing Mark’s clothes, which fit him a little bit short, showing off smooth, ivory skin.

Mark gazed at Jungwoo fondly from the doorframe, until he finally realized that he should tell him good morning. He padded slowly into the kitchen, so as to not take the angel by surprise, and softly called his name.

“Jungwoo.”

Jungwoo broke out of his thoughts and turned around to face Mark, smiling brightly as he met his eyes.

“Good morning, Mark!” He greeted, looking Mark up and down quickly before speaking again. “How did you sleep?”

Mark’s hand made its way to the back of his neck. “Really well, actually.”

His eyes absentmindedly drifted down to Jungwoo’s long legs, which looked great in the shorts that he was wearing. Mark found himself unable to peel his eyes off of them, and when Jungwoo cleared his throat, he cast his gaze to the floor and attempted to appear innocent.

“So, uh, what about you? Did you sleep well also?” Mark questioned, feeling awkward as a guilty feeling crept onto his back.

“I did.” The angel replied sweetly, as if he hadn’t noticed Mark checking him out just a moment ago. “Even though your bed isn’t like the ones we have up in heaven, it was still quite comfortable. Thanks for sharing it with me.”

Mark willed his face not to heat up. “You’re welcome.”

Jungwoo smiled graciously and turned around, bending forward slightly to carefully pick up the glasses of milk he had prepared. It was a simple action, but Mark had to force himself to avert his eyes to the stovetop before the sight of the angel from behind could entertain any thoughts that would pitch Mark head-first into the depths of hell.

Realizing that he needed to take his mind out of the gutter, Mark decided to strike up a conversation to distract himself.

“So, what time did you wake up?” Mark asked casually, using all of his willpower to look at the stovetop, and not at Jungwoo at all.

“Nine-o’-clock, about an hour ago.” The angel responded, finally turning back around, drinks in hand. He seemed to pick up that Mark’s vibe was off, but still smiled in his direction before walking over to him.

“I was thinking that you might want to have some milk before breakfast,” Jungwoo said, raising one glass to Mark, offering it to him, and Mark stared at his hand, unable to meet the angel’s eyes. “This is yours, if you’d like.”

Even though Mark was ashamed, he couldn’t help but smile up at the angel. It was lovely to have someone who thought about him. “Yeah, I’ll have it, thanks.”

Mark tried his best to stop his hand from shaking as he slowly took the glass of milk from Jungwoo, who smiled warmly as he did so. He took a sip of the smooth drink, and hummed in approval.

“This is really good.” Mark said, lifting up his glass to the angel. “Did you bless it or something?”

Jungwoo shook his head. “Nope, I just poured it out.” He paused for a moment to point to Mark’s drink. “I could bless it for you if you want, though.”

Mark nodded. He wasn’t going to say no to blessed milk, and he also needed all the blessings he could get. “Please.”

The angel smiled, thrilled to have another opportunity to use his divine abilities. “Alright. Close your eyes.”

Mark did as he was told, and felt Jungwoo’s soft hand rest gently atop of his hand that held the glass. Jungwoo began to whisper a short prayer, and by the time he was finished, Mark’s skin was tingling with a pleasant warmth.

“You can open your eyes now.” Jungwoo said, moving his hand away, leaving Mark’s hand to feel cold without it.

Mark opened his eyes and looked at his drink, which looked the same as before. He wasn’t sure why he expected it to change color, but somehow it looked even more delicious than before.

“Wow, thanks.” He said before taking an experimental sip of his now holy drink. “It tastes better like this.”

Jungwoo smiled, delighted that his job was well done. “I’m glad.” He said.

Mark quickly gulped down the rest of the drink as if there was no tomorrow, and Jungwoo stared at him in fascination. When he finished, he shot the angel a triumphant grin.

“I’m surprised you didn’t choke.” Jungwoo said, visibly impressed by Mark’s stunt. Mark laughed good-naturedly and wiped his mouth of any milk that may have been there. “Nope. I’m a professional, you know.”

Jungwoo let out a small burst of laughter, amused by Mark’s witty response. The sound made Mark feel fuzzy inside, as though he was a human-sized pillow full of soft feathers, and it was so beautiful that Mark made a mental note to make him laugh for the rest of the day, and for as long as he was to stay.

“Is that so?” Jungwoo said, playfulness glinting in his eyes.

He lifted his glass to his lips and downed the drink as fast as he could – which was _superhumanly_ fast – and in a fraction of a second the milk was _completely gone_. Mark’s jaw dropped.

“No way.” Mark gasped in amazement, watching Jungwoo as if he was God himself, and Jungwoo brushed his bangs out of his eyes, a humble, satisfied expression on his face.

“You didn’t expect that, did you?” Jungwoo said tauntingly, smirking.

Mark laughed, his hand migrating to the back of his head once again. “Honestly, I didn’t.” He looked at Jungwoo’s glass, a cheeky grin creeping onto his lips. “But now I know that angels would be fun to play drinking games with.”

Jungwoo gasped and jokingly hit Mark’s arm, the impact so light that it felt more like a massage than a punch. “Mark!”

“What?” Mark said innocently, shrugging and pretending that he hadn’t said anything the least bit scandalizing. “You don’t drink? I thought you angels would drink tons of wine up in heaven.”

Jungwoo chuckled. “Well, kind of. I do drink, but only heavenly wine. Anything else is strictly off-limits for me.”

Mark raised his brow. “Why?” He asked.

“I’m a lightweight.” The angel said shyly, embarrassed to have confessed one of his vulnerabilities. “And an extreme one at that. It’s not the best idea to even let me _touch_ alcohol, in all circumstances.”

Mark nodded, intrigued at the new information about Jungwoo. It sounded as though he had a huge problem holding his liquor, and Mark secretly began to wonder what the angel was like when intoxicated. He half-wanted to take him to a bar and find out.

“Well, I’m actually not too big on drinking myself, so you don’t have to worry about that.” Mark said, sounding half-distracted as he imagined a tipsy Jungwoo as the over-confident, daredevil type. That would be a sight to see. 

Jungwoo smiled. “Great.”

His gaze flicked to Mark’s glass, and then to his own. “We should wash our wares now, shouldn’t we.”

Mark looked at his cup, not feeling like doing chores so early in the morning. “Usually, I wash wares at dinnertime, and stack them up in the sink until then.”

Jungwoo shook his head, his golden bangs swishing gracefully with the movement. “That’s not a good habit, Mark. When you wash your wares right after you use them, you actually save time and effort.”

Mark sighed, realizing that the angel was right. It was just one glass, so the task was totally do-able. And didn’t he promise himself that he’d co-operate with Jungwoo?

“Alright then. Lead the way.” Mark mumbled, failing to sound enthusiastic.

Fortunately, Jungwoo didn’t take it on, and gave a small smile before he strolled over to the sink, and Mark trailed behind him, taking his place at his side when they reached their destination.

Jungwoo switched on the water, rinsed his glass, soaped the inside and outside generously with the sponge, and washed it off. The result was a spotlessly clean glass, and Mark wondered how the angel was so good at such trivial things.

“Your turn.” Jungwoo chirped, handing the dish-sponge to Mark, who robotically took it from him with a quiet thanks. He copied exactly what Jungwoo did, and his glass was just as immaculate as the angel’s own. That, he felt pretty good about.

“Good job.” Jungwoo said, beaming proudly at Mark, whose face flushed red. If doing the chores like this earned him the angel’s approval, Mark would gladly clean his entire apartment twice.

“You too,” Mark said bashfully, admiring the contentment dancing in Jungwoo’s eyes. His heart suddenly skipped a beat and he diverted his gaze to the fridge.

“So, uh, is there anything you want to have for breakfast?” Mark asked.

“Nothing in particular,” Jungwoo replied. “What do you want to have?”

Mark hummed in thought. There was something, but he couldn’t possibly have it, and so he thought of something else. “I’m kind of feeling for pancakes, but unfortunately I’m not a very good cook. The café not too far away from here makes some pretty good ones, so how about we go there for breakfast?”

Jungwoo’s face lit up with excitement. “Sure, that sounds good.”

Mark smiled, thankful that he came up with a resolution that the angel could agree on. His gaze dropped to what Jungwoo was wearing. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that he would definitely attract unwanted attention to himself the moment he stepped outside the apartment complex, and Mark certainly did not want that to happen. The angel was his responsibility, and he needed to protect him from harm. 

Mark instinctively placed a hand on Jungwoo’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, and Jungwoo watched him with bright eyes, contentedly welcoming the touch.

“Let’s change our clothes first, and I’ll find some that will fit you a bit better.” Mark said.

The angel nodded.

“Okay,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. If you don't mind me asking, what are your favorite ships?💚


	4. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark takes Jungwoo out to have breakfast at a café, and hopes that everything will turn out the way he wants.

Sundays had always been Mark’s favorite day of the week. They were the only days when he didn’t have any classes, and he could pass the time any how he liked. However, this Sunday, he wasn’t going to structure his plans around himself. Today, he was going to treat Jungwoo, take him around town, and spend an enjoyable day with him.

Mark smiled to himself, glancing up at the cloudless blue sky as he walked on the sidewalk to the café, alongside Jungwoo. The angel seemed equally happy as Mark, and walked with a slight skip in his step.

Few others walked the streets, although the weather was perfect for a mid-morning stroll, and Mark couldn’t be more relieved. Less people around meant fewer curious stares shot in Jungwoo’s direction.

Even in Mark’s oversized pullover and a pair of jeans that reached his ankles, the angel still managed to draw attention to himself, earning himself about seven double-takes as soon as he exited the apartment complex. But Mark couldn’t blame him. Jungwoo was too pretty for his own good, and the only thing Mark could do was keep him close to his side, signaling to anyone watching that Jungwoo was _his_ angel.

Mark glanced over at Jungwoo, and noticed that he had wandered too far ahead. He put his hands in his pockets and took a few long strides to catch up with him, giving a taut smile when Jungwoo met eyes with him.

“Don’t walk too quickly. My legs are shorter than yours, you know.” Mark said, half-joking and half-serious.

Jungwoo looked apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I guess I got a bit carried away.” He said.

Mark placed his hand behind his head, casting his gaze to the sidewalk. “It’s alright, but I need you to stay close by, in case you might get lost or something.” He said.

“I understand.” Jungwoo said and moved closer to Mark’s side and synchronized their steps so that they walked at the same pace. That way, Mark felt more secure. He let his guard down a little as they continued to make their way toward the café, no longer focusing on everybody else, but keeping his attention on the one who actually mattered.

The café came into sight a little further ahead, but in order to reach it, they would have to cross the road now in front of them. Cars zipped past them, speedily turning the corner as if they owned the road, and Mark bit the inside of his cheek, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive.

Mark quickly grabbed hold of Jungwoo’s hand, even though the angel had stopped before the end of the sidewalk. Caught off-guard, Jungwoo looked at Mark with widened eyes, reddening in the face. Mark cleared his throat and cast his gaze down to their intertwined hands.

“Road safety.” He blurted out. “Just taking some extra precautions, if you don’t mind.”

The angel gave a small smile and squeezed Mark’s hand before interlacing their fingers. “I don’t mind.” He said.

Nearby, a car stopped to let them pass. Mark shot the driver an awkward thumbs-up with his free hand, then tilted his head in the direction of the road.

“I-I think we should cross now.” Mark faltered, trying his best to ignore the burning sensation creeping over his ears.

Jungwoo nodded and they silently made their way across the street, reaching the opposite sidewalk, stopping at the front door to the café. Mark looked down at his hand, still joined with the angel’s own. It had a mind of its own, and refused to let go. Mark nervously licked his lips and looked up at Jungwoo.

“Uh, you know how you need a few hours of human contact per day?” Mark murmured. He hoped to sound casual, but he knew that he had failed when the angel gave a wide, knowing grin.

Jungwoo hummed. “Let me guess, you’re planning to start that now?” He said, jokingly elbowing Mark’s arm.

Mark burst out in flustered laughter, his entire face heating up like the concrete sidewalk in the late morning sun. “Well, I- I thought that we could, uh, since we’re holding hands and all,” He stuttered.

“Mark.”

Jungwoo beamed reassuringly, watching Mark as if he found his nervousness endearing. “I wasn’t going to say no, you know. I think it’s a good idea.” He said.

Mark nodded, dropping his gaze to the floor, grinning like a fool. It was impossible to keep a straight face when the angel was like this.

Suddenly the door to the café was pulled open, and both Mark and Jungwoo looked up to see an elderly woman, who surveyed them curiously.

“May I pass, please?” The lady said politely, even though she seemed to be in a hurry. Only then had Mark realized that he and Jungwoo were blocking the doorway.

“Oh, right, sorry Miss.” Mark apologized, pulling Jungwoo backwards before taking a step back.

“Thank you.” The lady replied, hobbling out the café, and turned to face Mark with a small smile.

“Take care of your friend there, young man. He seems to be a rare type, a one-of-a-kind.”

Mark nodded hastily, although he didn’t fully absorb what she said. “Absolutely, Miss.” He replied, trying not to blush when Jungwoo playfully rested his chin on his shoulder, distracting him.

The lady shot them a look of acknowledgement and went on her way, leaving Mark to stand frozen in place, baffled as to what had just happened. Mark was lost in his thoughts for nearly half a minute, only snapping back to reality when a stream of cold air hit the back of his neck, sending chills down his spine. He abruptly spun around, which was a huge mistake.

He almost bumped noses with Jungwoo, and when their eyes locked, Mark’s face metaphorically went up in flames. An amused grin danced on Jungwoo’s lips.

“So, when are we going to enter the café?” He asked, his voice dripping with innocence.

Mark gulped, averting his eyes to the road. “R-right now, actually.” He stammered, stiffly raised his free hand to push open the door to the café and walked inside with Jungwoo closely following behind. Not too many people were inside, which was a great relief to Mark.

The café was filled with the rich scent of brewed coffee and freshly baked goods, and Mark was immediately reminded of his family home. He missed the days when he would sit down with his parents at the dining table, and help himself to all the home-made pancakes he desired. Although the café was not his home, and the food served there wasn’t made by his mother, the place still had a special place in Mark’s heart. It was his go-to place whenever he needed an escape from stress or whenever he needed a little pick-me-up.

There weren’t many people in the café, thank goodness. It couldn’t have been a better place to take Jungwoo for their first outing together, and Mark hoped that the angel would appreciate it just as much as he did.

“I like the atmosphere here.” Jungwoo whispered, taking in his surroundings with brilliant eyes. “I’ve seen you go to this place many times before, but being here in person is a totally different experience.”

Mark looked at Jungwoo, the corners of his lips curving upwards into a smile. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it here.”

“Hello Mark!” A familiar voice called out, and Mark swiveled around, grinning when he found the person to whom it belonged, who stood behind the cash register.

Furtively, Mark hid his and Jungwoo’s joined hands behind his back. He didn’t have the heart to let go of his hand, and hoped that they wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

“Hey Jeno, how’s it going?” He greeted, Jungwoo smiling to say hello.

Jeno seemed a little surprised to see Mark with a stranger on his arm, but even though it was an unusual sight, it made him happy. “Well, the café’s been pretty quiet so far, but I’m not bored as yet.” Jeno said, pausing to address Jungwoo’s presence.

“I see you’ve brought someone new along.” He commented. 

“Yeah,” Mark nodded, bringing his free hand to the back of his head. “This is Jungwoo, my uh–” He glanced over at Jungwoo, who discreetly shook his head.

“ _Childhood friend_.” Mark clarified. “We’ve been friends since we were, uh, children.”

Mark cringed slightly, hoping that his words hadn’t come across as sketchy. Thankfully, Jeno nodded in understanding and introduced himself to Jungwoo with a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, Jungwoo, I’m Jeno, one of Mark’s high-school friends.” His eyes shone with cheerfulness. “Mark’s friends are my friends, so please consider yourself a friend of mine.”

Jungwoo beamed sunnily at Jeno, and Mark couldn’t help but want that smile for himself, and gave Jungwoo’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Nice to meet you too, Jeno. I hope we can become good friends.” The angel said pleasantly. 

Jeno gave both of them another warm smile and leaned comfortably on the counter. “So, what do you want to order today?” He said. 

Mark turned to Jungwoo, and tried to keep a straight face as their eyes met. “Your choice.”

The angel’s face lit up, and he scanned through the menu on the wall behind Jeno. But a couple seconds in, his eyebrows knitted slightly, and it seemed as though he was having a hard time deciding what he wanted. His expression looked pleading when he turned to face Mark, his tone of voice equally so. “There are too many options. I need your help to pick one.”

Something about the angel needing his help softened Mark’s heart, and he couldn’t ignore the urge to squeeze Jungwoo’s hand again.

“In that case, how about we go with what I usually take?” Mark suggested. 

Jungwoo nodded. “Sure.” He suddenly paused, narrowing his eyes in thought. “It’s classic pancakes with maple syrup, whipped cream and mixed berries, right?” He asked. 

Mark’s eyes widened in amazement. He felt special that Jungwoo remembered such intricate details about him. It was surreal to consider that Jungwoo in fact, knew everything about him. But that also meant that the angel was in on his deepest, darkest secrets, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

“Yeah.” Mark said, slightly dazed. He turned to Jeno, who looked mildly amused.

“We’ll take the usual. A large serving, please.”

“Sure,” Jeno replied, punching in numbers on the cash register. “Five dollars.”

Mark fumbled in his back pocket with his free hand for the money and gave a rather crumpled note to Jeno, who accepted it with a chuckle and handed him the receipt.

“So, you two can wait here, and your order should be ready in about three minutes.” Jeno said, the sides of his mouth tugging into a smile.

“Thanks.” Mark said, and Jeno headed off to the kitchen to place their order to the chefs.

A gentle tug on his hand made Mark look over at Jungwoo, who watched him with shining eyes, gold specks dancing in his irises.

“It’s nice to meet your friend in person.” He said, glancing to where Jeno had disappeared. Mark followed his trail of vision and a thought came to mind.

“You must already know everything about him.” Mark mused.

Jungwoo shook his head. “I know just as much as you do. I’m only allowed to follow your experiences, and nobody else’s.”

Mark nodded. “So, I was wondering, have you, like, seen _everything_ that I’ve done?”

The angel giggled, and Mark felt his knees go weak. “Everything.”

“Like _everything_ everything?”

“ _Everything_ , everything, everything. Every second of your existence.”

Mark brought his hand to his face to hide his embarrassment.

All the dumb things he did in high-school had been fully broadcast to Jungwoo, and it astonished him how the angel could even tolerate his presence. And if he saw _everything_ , that meant that he had also seen him…

“Don’t worry, I don’t judge. I make mistakes too.” Jungwoo said, trying to piece Mark’s shattered ego back together, but Mark watched only him in disbelief.

“Yeah, but they’re nothing compared to mine.” Mark said, frowning toward the hardwood floor, and Jungwoo reassuringly brushed his thumb over Mark’s knuckle.

“Well, if it makes you feel better,” His voice lowered to a hushed whisper.

“What if I told you that I’m not completely perfect, and that the reason why I'm here is because I messed up?”

Mark’s hand dropped from his face. “Wait. Seriously?”

Jungwoo gave a regretful smile. “Seriously.”

Mark’s embarrassment quickly melted away, and all sorts of thoughts began to flit hap-hazardly around his mind.

So, the angel was on suspension from heaven.

He wanted to open his mouth to ask Jungwoo what he had done, but stopped himself half-way. It didn’t seem right to pry into his matters. His business was taking care of his angel, who probably didn’t deserve the punishment he got for a single mistake.

Mark untangled his fingers from Jungwoo’s own, slowly letting go of his hand to slip his arm around Jungwoo’s waist, bringing him flush against his side. The angel relaxed into the hug, his gloomy expression fading away. He didn’t feel as feverish as he did the day before. His skin was pleasantly warm and reminded Mark of the times when he’d sit by the hearth at home in the height of winter.

“Thanks, Mark.” Jungwoo sighed, mustering a weak smile. “You don’t have to feel sorry for me, though. It’s not worth crying over spilt milk.”

Mark gently patted Jungwoo’s side. “That might be true, but regardless you need a hug.”

Jungwoo let out a small laugh. “You’re right.” He said.

Jeno returned from the kitchen, hands full with a plastic food-box containing the freshly-cooked pancakes. Mark quickly put some space in-between himself and Jungwoo. It wasn’t that he felt embarrassed to be hugging Jungwoo in public. He just didn’t want to give Jeno the wrong idea.

Jeno hadn’t seemed to notice anything, and beamed happily. “Here you go, I hope you two enjoy it.” He said, handing the box to Mark, who accepted it with both hands.

“Thanks dude. We will.” Mark said.

*

“This was a great choice for breakfast.” Mark declared after he finished the last bite of his pancake, basking in the satisfaction that came with having had a good meal.

Jungwoo nodded in agreement, smiling as he lifted a forkful of berries to his lips. “I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for bringing me here, Mark.”

“My pleasure.” Mark said as he looked up at Jungwoo, grinning happily. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for cheering up the angel. He started to wonder what else he could do to keep his spirits high. “So, do you want to go anywhere else after this?”

Jungwoo swallowed the last bit of food in his mouth before responding. “I wouldn’t mind taking a walk around town, and maybe we could do a bit of sight-seeing.”

Mark nodded. “Sounds good. I was thinking the same-”

“Hey Mark!”

Mark turned to the source of another familiar voice, surprised to see Donghyuck, who had finally come to show his face.

“Hyuck, how’s it going?” Mark greeted, the corners of his mouth curving pleasantly, and Donghyuck returned a similar smile.

“Not too badly.” He said. 

Donghyuck turned to Jungwoo, his happy expression fading a little, and gave him a probing stare as if he was trying to read his thoughts. For a second, Mark could've sworn that Donghyuck had frowned.

“Hello.” Donghyuck greeted, but his tone was dry.

“Hey.” The angel answered sweetly, blatantly contrasting with Donghyuck. “Nice to meet you, Donghyuck. I’m Jungwoo.”

Donghyuck’s lips curved into something that aspired to be a friendly smile, but it didn't reach his eyes, which glinted with disdain. This was not his usual self, and Mark knew all too well that something was up.

“Nice to meet you too.” Donghyuck said, quickly following it up with a question. “Are you a new friend of Mark’s?”

Jungwoo shook his head. “No, I’ve known Mark since we were little.”

Donghyuck nodded, glancing at Mark curiously as if he didn’t believe a word the angel had said. And that was just the case. “Is _that_ so?”

“Yeah.” Mark replied, looking at Jungwoo’s hands, which were clasped together neatly on the table. “He just, uh, came in from Canada to pay me a visit.”

Donghyuck nodded again, looking the slightest bit unamused. “Ah. That’s nice.” He said robotically, drawing out his words, and then turned to Jungwoo. “So, you speak English, right?”

Jungwoo shrugged and responded to suit, knowing fully that Donghyuck didn’t understand English, and decided to use that information to his advantage, and spoke fast. “ _Of course. Since I’m from Canada, shouldn’t it be a given that I speak English? I have no clue why you asked me that question._ ”

Jungwoo's accent was a carbon-copy of Mark's own, and Mark couldn't be more fascinated. It was hard to will away the bubbly feeling in his chest, and he wished he didn't have to. But if he was to make Donghyuck believe that he and Jungwoo had indeed grown up together in Canada, he definitely couldn't look shocked hearing the angel speak the country's official language.

Donghyuck didn't looked impressed, which wasn't his usual reaction to English being spoken, and turned to Mark again. “He said something about Canada, didn’t he.”

Mark bit the inside of his cheek. “Yeah. He said that you should visit there sometime.”

Donghyuck pursed his lips. “Maybe after university finishes. Time is a bit tight these days, you know. I have a lot on my schedule.”

“Yeah,” Mark said, and Jungwoo nodded slowly, even though he didn't know what it was like to be short on time, considering that he was immortal.

Suddenly, Donghyuck glanced at his watch. “Ah, I got to go. My break is ending now.”

Mark had a suspicion that Donghyuck was making up an excuse to leave, but nonetheless gave him a genuine smile. Hopefully by the next time around, his weird attitude would've worn off. “Alright. Take care, dude." He said, earning an upbeat response from Donghyuck.

"I will."

“Bye Donghyuck, it was nice meeting you.” Jungwoo called after him, his voice laced with sugar, and so much so that Mark began to wonder if it was a front.

Donghyuck grinned, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to tell that it was forced. “It was great meeting you too.”

And with that, Donghyuck walked off. Both Mark and Jungwoo watched with confusion on their faces as he disappeared into the employees’ room.

“I’m sure you know that he’s not usually like this. Maybe he’s low on sleep or something.” Mark said, eyes still glued to the door to the employees’ room.

“Probably.” Jungwoo sighed, making Mark sigh also.

There was a lot of odd tension in the air, and the happy atmosphere that Mark tried so hard to create had all wilted away. Later, he’d call Donghyuck and ask him what the hell was going on. But for now, he had to try to fix things.

“So, Jungwoo, how about we take our walk around town like you wanted?” Mark asked, hoping to lighten up the mood, but his efforts were all in vain. 

“I kind of changed my mind. Would it be alright if we just went home?” Jungwoo replied, looking down at the table, where he fidgeted with his fingers.

Mark’s heart felt heavy in his chest. “Sure, only if that’ll make you feel better.” He said with a sad smile. 


	5. Ice Cream

“So, Jungwoo, would you like some ice-cream?” Mark asked the angel as he walked alongside him on the sidewalk, their arms interlinked. “I know we just had breakfast and all, but I think it’s always time for ice-cream.”

A stone’s throw ahead was a small ice-cream parlor which had just opened up for the day, as the manager flipped the store sign from closed to open. Jungwoo looked in the direction of the store, and then looked at Mark before giving a bright smile, which was the reaction Mark had wanted to see.

“I wouldn’t say no.” Jungwoo said, elbowing Mark’s side playfully and making him laugh, because he was highly ticklish.

Mark grinned. “Ice-cream it is, then.”

The two boys headed into the shop, which was painted in pastel shades of blue and yellow, complementing the chestnut hardwood floor. They were the first customers, and the young man at the counter looked more than happy to see them.

“Good morning.” Mark and Jungwoo greeted in unison, walking further into the store until they reached the glass freezer in front of the counter.

The barista, who wore a name-tag reading Jaemin, gave a blinding smile before returning their greeting. “Good morning, you two, and welcome to Nana’s ice-cream shop!” Jaemin exclaimed, sounding as though he took great pride in the shop, which was commendable.

“Today’s special is Mint Chip ice-cream, if you’re wondering, and feel free to choose any other flavors if prefer.” He said, gesturing to the freezer which contained all the ice-cream.

“Thanks.” Mark said, and both he and Jungwoo smiled at the barista’s courtesy.

Although the store was small, it didn’t compromise on what it had to offer. They didn’t just have the basic ice-cream flavors, but they had a spectrum of unique ones such as cherry blossom, hibiscus, triple-chocolate mocha fudge supreme and cherry cola.

Mark was a simple man, so he chose cookies and cream, whereas Jungwoo decided to go with the special, as it happened to be his favorite flavor.

They bought their ice-creams and bade Jaemin goodbye, and exited the store with their treats in hand and smiles on their faces.

“Thanks, Mark.” Jungwoo said as they stepped back on to the pavement.

“You’re welcome.” Mark replied, a great warmth filling his chest, which was odd, because what he was eating was quite the opposite in temperature.

The walk home was calm and pleasant, and all thoughts about Donghyuck’s strange mood had evaporated into the air, like the vapor wafting upwards from their ice-creams. They didn’t talk much on the way, but enjoyed each other’s presence in the serenity of the early Sunday afternoon.

As Mark and Jungwoo strolled into the apartment complex, a widely grinning young man dressed in all black whizzed past them and hollered a jubilant ‘good morning, you guys!’, and almost knocked into Mark, who almost dropped his ice-cream cone out of shock.

The young man stopped to face Mark and brought a fist to his chest, looking genuinely apologetic, reminding Mark of a sad puppy. “I’m too clumsy for my own good, sorry about that. You okay, dude?”

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Mark said in-between staggered breaths. “And good morning to you too.”

Jungwoo giggled softly from the sidelines, and laughed as he spoke.

“Good morning.”

The young man’s wide grin returned and he echoed after Jungwoo, although he had already greeted him.

“Mornin’.” He replied with a wink, then looked down at his gold watch, running a hand through his sandy-blonde hair.

“It was great meeting you two, but unfortunately I got to go. I’ll see you around, maybe. I don’t know. Anyway, stay healthy and all that good stuff.” The guy rambled animatedly before dashing out of the complex.

Everything had happened so fast that Mark had to inhale deeply five times before he could absorb what had just happened, but breathing was hard when all his ears could hear was the sound of Jungwoo, almost doubled over, laughing.

“That guy.” The angel gasped out, his cheeks flushed, a hand clasped over his stomach. “He’s a real comedian.”

“Yeah.” Mark said breathlessly. “I wonder where he’s rushing to.”

“Beats me.” Jungwoo said, shrugging. “I would love to find out, though. I wonder what all the hassle was about.”

“Me too.” Mark replied, glancing back to the entrance of the apartment complex before looking back at Jungwoo. “Let’s head to the apartment before we get knocked down again.” He said with a chuckle.

“Sure.” Jungwoo said, flipping his fluffy bangs back into place.

*

Mark was about to unlock the door to his apartment, but stopped when he saw something glinting at the bottom of his vision, right where he was about to step on the doormat.

He stooped down to take a closer look at it, and Jungwoo did the same. It was a large gold-bound package about the size of a shoe-box, which was heavier than expected when Mark picked it up. On the top, there was a silver tag which read:

_To: JW, From: X.X._

Assuming that JW was Jungwoo, Mark curiously glanced over at the angel.

“I think it’s for you.” He said, handing Jungwoo the package, which he accepted tentatively with both hands.

Jungwoo read the tag and furrowed his brows slightly. “Probably from the Angels’ Association, I don't know.”

Mark nodded, wondering what was inside, and if he had gained himself another blessing from touching a holy delivery.

“What do you think is in it?” Mark asked, and Jungwoo hummed in thought.

“I don’t know. We’ll have to find out.”

Both of them stood up, Jungwoo shifting the dense package around in his arms, and Mark unlocked the apartment door. He let Jungwoo in first so that he could put his package down on the table before he lost his grip.

The package made a dull sound as it was rested down, and Mark quickly locked the door behind him before taking his place by Jungwoo’s side, holding his breath as the angel nimbly undid the folds on the box and opened the top.

There was a blank gold sheet on top of the contents – well, at least that’s what Mark initially thought it was – but when Jungwoo began to scan through it, he realized that it must’ve been a letter written in some kind of invisible ink that humans couldn’t read. Underneath the sheet was a thick document folder with Jungwoo's name on it.

“Invisible ink?” Mark questioned, and Jungwoo nodded, not taking his eyes off of the letter until he was finished.

Soon, Jungwoo turned to Mark, and judging by his solemn expression, Mark presumed that whatever the letter had said wasn’t particularly good news.

“Apparently I’m starting university tomorrow.” Jungwoo said. “ _Your_ university.”

Mark nodded, unsure of what to think or even how to react to that arrangement.

“Uh, so how do you feel about that?” He asked.

Jungwoo glanced down at the letter and played with its corners.

“Nervous.” He said, sighing. “The courses aren’t a problem for me, because I’ve already covered them all in angel school, but blending in with everyone else will be tough. I stand out a lot, don’t I?”

“Kind of,” Mark said before pausing. “In a good way, don’t get me wrong. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if your entire class wanted to befriend you.”

Jungwoo gave a small laugh. “That’s good to hear, I guess.”

The angel rested down the letter next to the package, took out the document folder and quickly flipped through the papers inside. University files, a birth certificate and other such legal documents. Mark stole a glance at his identification pictures. Predictably, they were all cute. Jungwoo placed the document folder on top of the invisible-inked letter and then withdrew a small box from the now half-empty package. One look at the box made Mark gasp in shock.

“Lucky.” Mark gawked. “That’s the most expensive phone on the market right now.”

Jungwoo nodded, carefully taking the phone out of its box. “Really? I wonder why they gave me something so flashy.”

Mark hummed. “We can exchange phones if you want.”

Jungwoo burst out in a fit of giggles. “Nice try, Markie. But I’ll keep this one, since they wanted me to have it.”

“True, but if you change your mind-” Mark was interrupted by a gentle poke to the stomach, which made him choke out a laugh.

The angel shot him a playful grin, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Maybe I’ll consider it, or maybe I’ll keep it _just_ to teach you a lesson on humility.”

“But I’m already quite humble already.” Mark replied, jutting out his bottom lip like a child.

Jungwoo shook his head, copying Mark’s pouting expression. “Not as humble as I am, though.”

“But aren’t you now bragging about being humble? Doesn’t sound very humble of you.” Mark joked, earning another poke to the stomach from Jungwoo before he put the phone down to nearly fling himself onto Mark, mercilessly tickling his sides.

Mark shrieked with forceful laughter, his knees almost buckling and threatening to give out. He should’ve expected that Jungwoo would do this, especially since he had been poking Mark’s stomach all day ever since he found out that he was ticklish.

“How about you say that again?” Jungwoo giggled out, still tickling Mark with no mercy. “Let’s see how much tickling you can handle.”

Mark forced out his words in-between bursts of laughter. “Doesn’t. Sound. Very-” But before he could finish, he stumbled backwards, the back of his legs hitting the armrest of the nearby couch, and he collapsed into a plush cushion, bringing Jungwoo down with him.

The angel fell on top of Mark, his face colliding with Mark’s stomach, knocking the breath from his lungs, but Jungwoo used his arms to raise his upper body off of Mark, who recovered quickly, gasping for air.

But breathing was of no use, as Mark once again became winded at the sight of the angel between his legs, bent over him, all rosy-cheeked and giggling breathlessly.

Mark felt his face ignite, heating up until it was feverishly warm, and suddenly the burning feeling travelled down his chest and pooled at the base of his abdomen.

It was a feeling that was all too familiar. Panic surged through Mark’s body as he scrambled backwards onto the couch to lie (strategically) on his stomach across the length of the seat.

Today really wasn’t the best day to wear _skinny jeans_.

Mark buried his face into the cushion, praying that Jungwoo hadn’t noticed anything, but when he glanced up, the amused smirk on the angel’s reddened lips told Mark that he had seen _everything_. Jungwoo got up from the armrest and made his way over to Mark to sit cross-legged on the floor right in front of him.

“Did I tire you out, Mark?”

The angel’s voice sounded concerned, innocent. Maybe he saw nothing after all.

Mark mumbled his words into the couch. “Yeah. I think I might sleep now.”

“Now? Didn’t you want to see what was in the package?” Jungwoo asked.

“Yeah, I do, but I- I’m too tired now. I guess you’ll have to go on without me.”

“Really?” Jungwoo hummed. “If you’re that tired, then you should move to the bed.”

Mark bit the inside of his cheek. If he was to move to the bed, he couldn’t do so with Jungwoo watching.

“The couch is fine, you know.” Mark mumbled.

Jungwoo’s voice was still concerned, but the hint of playfulness had returned. “You said it yourself that the couch isn’t a proper place to sleep. I’m your guardian angel and I only want the best for you. I’ll carry you to bed if you refuse to go yourself.”

Mark heard the sound of movement, and soon felt two warm hands wrap around his chest, pulling him into the angel’s arms, lifting Mark off the couch and onto his feet.

 _Yikes_.

Mark gently prized Jungwoo’s arms off from around him and gave him an awkward smile, barely turning around to face the angel. “Thanks, but I’ll save you the trouble and I’ll go to bed myself. I’m kind of heavy, you know. The last thing you need is muscle strain.” Mark fumbled out, scampering out of the living room, picking up speed as soon as he was out of Jungwoo’s sight.

Mark slipped past his room and flung open the door to the bathroom, locking the door behind him before standing over the sink, looking into the mirror. As he expected, his entire face was beet red. He didn’t even want to look down, just because he already knew what was in store for him.

Mark couldn’t ignore his problem for much longer, especially since he was _sure_ that it wouldn’t sort itself out on its own. However, he was certain that once he did, he’d never be able to look the angel in the eyes ever again.

It was a perplexing situation. Why had his body reacted to the angel in this way?

It didn't make sense...

Suddenly, three gentle knocks resounded into the bathroom, and Mark once again began to panic.

Jungwoo’s sweet voice came in from the other side of the door. “This isn’t the bedroom, Mark. Are you feeling ill?”

Mark bit down hard on his lip, almost drawing blood. The angel’s concern was lovely and all, but it only made his problem worse.

“Yeah. I’m feeling a bit queasy. It’s not your fault though, I think I might’ve eaten too much.” Mark responded, scrunching his nose to distract himself from the tightness in his jeans.

“I can use my healing powers on you, if you want.” Jungwoo suggested kindly.

Mark clenched his teeth. He so wanted to let the angel help him, but the type of help he was alluding to would definitely displease God in all possible ways. “There’s no need, I think I’ll be fine on my own. You can continue to unbox your things, and I’ll meet you in the living room when I feel better.” He forced out.

“Are you sure?” Jungwoo asked, his voice like smooth honey, and Mark had to pinch his arm to keep himself focused on their conversation.

“I’m sure.”

“Well, if you’re sure you’re sure.” The angel replied, walking away from the door.

Finally, the coast was clear. Mark gulped. At this point, his discomfort urgently needed his intervention.

He’d have to fix it as quietly as he could, which was going to be awfully difficult, considering that he tended to be extremely vocal during these types of things. But if he gave out the slightest signal of what he was doing, Jungwoo would surely notice and Mark's dignity would be thrown out the window.

So, he’d just have to try his best to prevent that.

Mark walked over to the empty bathtub and climbed into it, sprawling out comfortably on the porcelain surface.

Sighing heavily, he trailed his fingertips down from his chest, stopping when they reached the waistline of his skinny jeans. He pushed away the guilt that prickled his skin as he undid the zipper, and tried not to think about the angel’s full, pink lips as his hands danced across his bare skin.

*

Mark washed his hands, not once, not twice, but three times, as if it would wash away the sin that he had just committed.

He wasn’t sure how long he had spent in the bathroom, but what he did know was that he spent _much_ longer than he had intended. It wasn’t his fault that the problem refused to go away, and returned three times in a row, seconds after Mark thought it had been resolved.

Fortunately, Jungwoo hadn’t checked up on him after he had left, which was a great relief, but Mark was sure that the angel must’ve suspected, at the very least, that something was off. Or would he have not, because of his innocence?

Mark shoved his thoughts aside and dried off his hands, which trembled with nervousness. He took a deep breath in and twisted the doorknob, opening the door a crack to peer outside cautiously.

No angel in sight, great. Mark tip-toed over to his bedroom, opening the door as slowly as possible and slipped inside, closing the door silently behind him.

“Hey Mark, how are you feeling?” Jungwoo’s voice resounded from the bed, where he was camping out, on his phone.

_Speak of the angel._

Mark forced an innocent smile. “Better, I think.” He said, barely glancing at Jungwoo before casting his gaze to the floor.

“You think?” Jungwoo questioned, getting up from the bed and walking over to Mark, whose ears began to heat up.

The angel giggled softly. “Let me help you, please.” He said softly.

Mark had to wrench his mind out of the gutter for that one, but he nodded shyly, unable to use his voice, and closed his eyes. Delicately, Jungwoo brought both of his hands to Mark’s face, resting his palms on his blushing cheeks, and softly whispered an incantation.

From the point of contact, an ice-cold wave of refreshment rippled forth and drenched Mark’s body with a sense of renewal. It dissolved his guilt, drowning out the negative emotions that had perched themselves heavily on Mark’s back, like a flock of sinister ravens.

Jungwoo slowly moved his hands away and took both of Mark’s hands in his; those hands that should’ve been too unworthy for a heavenly being to touch. But even so, the angel interlaced their fingers, his compassion absolving them of their sin. Finally, Mark was pure.

“So, how do you feel?” Jungwoo whispered, squeezing Mark’s hands.

Mark took a breath in, assessing the new lightness that embraced his body. He felt rejuvenated. Forgiven.

“Never felt better.” He said.

Jungwoo giggled, and the sound brought butterflies to Mark’s stomach.

“I’m glad.” The angel said, smiling sweetly. “Now, how about we go through the rest of the package? I didn’t want to continue without you, so I spent some time figuring out how to use my phone. I quickly got the hang of it. It’s pretty neat.”

Mark smiled warmly at the angel. He was proud of him. “That’s great to hear. Let’s get to unboxing, then.”

“Let’s go.” Jungwoo echoed, his maple eyes shimmering with contentedness.


	6. Fruit Loops

All dressed for class, Mark sauntered into the dining room for breakfast.

Jungwoo, who had gotten ready earlier on, was seated at the table but didn't even notice when Mark entered the room. His eyes were glued to the screen of his phone, one hand typing away while the other brought a heaping spoon of fruit loops to his lips. Quietly, Mark dropped himself down into the seat next to him, sneaking a furtive glance at his phone, which was opened onto a chat, Jungwoo busy messaging a complete stranger.

Mark squinted his eyes, trying to catch the person’s name, but Jungwoo frantically switched off his phone and shot him a surprised, wide-eyed stare in the middle of swallowing a mouthful of cereal. Not knowing what to do, Mark wore a sheepish grin on his face, and flicked his gaze to the empty bowl and spoon on the table in front of him, unable to maintain eye contact with Jungwoo.

“Hey.” Mark greeted nervously, suddenly fiddling with his fingers. The angel had definitely seen him spying, and he wondered if he should brace himself for a scolding. But instead, the angel’s panicked expression melted and the corners of his mouth curved into a bright, innocent smile.

“Hey Mark. You got ready quickly.”

“Yeah.” Mark replied, picking up the box of multi-colored cereal and pouring some into his bowl before adding milk. “I can’t afford to make you late, especially on your first day.”

Jungwoo nodded. “That’s sweet of you.” He said.

“It’s what I do.” Mark replied, smiling genuinely. The angel, visibly pleased, brought his hand to Mark’s knee and gave it a light squeeze before taking another spoonful of cereal. The action brought a light flush to Mark’s cheeks, and he looked down into his bowl of cereal.

It looked delicious.

“Do you want me to bless it for you?” Jungwoo asked kindly, leaning towards Mark, who nodded hastily before he had even finished speaking.

“Yes, please.”

Jungwoo giggled, a sound that Mark would never get tired of. “I thought so.”

Similar to the last time, the angel clasped Mark’s hands in his and held them around the bowl of cereal. He closed his eyes and began to whisper a little prayer, his voice so soft that Mark could barely hear his words, but his earnest tone was enough to fill Mark’s chest with warmth. Mark caught himself staring at Jungwoo as he prayed, observing his long eyelashes and the way his mouth moved as he spoke. It was hard not to when he was so close up, and Mark had to stop himself from reminding Jungwoo of the obvious; that he was pretty.

The angel finished his prayer and slid his hands out of Mark’s own, smiling contentedly as he met his eyes.

“I was going to change the color of your cereal, but I thought that it looked more fun the way it is.” He said.

Mark let out a chuckle. “Yeah.”

He picked up his spoon and scooped some cereal into his mouth, humming with satisfaction as he savored the taste of sugar and blessings from heaven. Jungwoo’s prayer had made the world of a difference, as always, and Mark finished chewing to tell him that.

“You know, this is-”

_Ring, ring!_

Jungwoo’s phone had started to go off, cutting off Mark’s words, and they both glanced down towards the brightly illuminated screen to read the name of the caller, which was accompanied by a picture. Immediately, Jungwoo snatched up the phone, still ringing, and turned the screen away from Mark’s vision, but he was too late. Mark had seen everything.

“Uh, Mark, I have an important call to take. Really bad timing. I’m sorry for the interruption.”

Mark shook his head, smiling to mask his growing suspicion. “It’s fine, I’ll wait until you’re finished.” He replied.

“Thanks.” Jungwoo sighed, quickly answering the call and speed-walking in the direction of the bedroom, leaving Mark alone with his thoughts at the dining table.

Mark recalled what he had seen. The caller had been some _Huang Xuxi._ The boy’s picture had looked vaguely, oddly familiar, but Mark hadn’t gotten a good enough look to be able to tell from where he had seen him. Who he was, Mark had no idea, but he figured that he must’ve been either one of Jungwoo’s angel friends or a higher-up in the Guardian Angels Association. Secretly, Mark wished it was the latter. The fact that there were others who knew and liked Jungwoo just as much as he did, made him feel the slightest bit jealous. It was selfish to think so, yes, but Mark couldn’t help it for some reason or another.

Nibbling half-heartedly on his blessed fruit-loops, Mark settled for finishing his breakfast on his own, willing himself not to strain his ears to pick up on Jungwoo’s distant talking only one room away. No, not talking. Laughing.

Mark’s heart gave a jolt before sinking back miserably.

So, it _was_ one of his friends.

Sooner than expected, the sound of the bedroom door snapping closed echoed through the quiet apartment, and a widely grinning Jungwoo strolled into the kitchen.

“ _-see you later!_ ” He chirped into his phone before hanging up the phone, taking his previous seat at the dining table. It took a second for Mark to understand what he had said, because it wasn’t in Korean, but what he assumed to be Cantonese. Why the angel had switched languages, Mark didn’t know, but he suspected that it was to keep his conversation confidential.

“Sorry about that.” Jungwoo said with a small smile. “A friend called to check up on me.”

“It’s alright.” Mark answered through his jealousy. “It’s good to hear that there are others who still care about you even after – you know.”

“Yeah.” Jungwoo sighed, looking thoughtful. “Some people love you no matter what you do. It’s such a strange concept.” He paused smiling to himself. “Those are real angels, I think. And it just so happens that you come across them unintentionally, befriend them, and then it turns out that they’re better angels than I am.”

Mark nodded slowly. “That’s pretty hard to believe – your friend being a better angel than you, that is.”

Jungwoo gave the slightest chuckle. “Well, I guess you’ll have to meet him to believe it. He has a few rough edges, but a wonderful sense of humor and a big heart.” He said, smiling dreamily.

Mark smiled back, even though he was sure that his eyes were shining green at the moment. Huang Xuxi should darn well understand how lucky he was to have Jungwoo gushing over him.

“If only I could meet him.” Mark mused, filling his mouth with cereal so that he didn’t have to continue smiling.

“Yeah.” Jungwoo giggled again. “But in a way, I think you already have.”

*

It had taken barely half-an-hour for the two boys to reach their university; a massive campus lined with towering, blocky buildings connected to each other by long, winding stone walkways, neighbored by grassy sitting areas for spending breaks with friends. The main office was the tallest, widest building on the grounds, and that was where they were headed. Weaving through small crowds of students from other faculties, Mark and Jungwoo finally stepped inside the almost vacant building and made their way to the receptionist’s desk, greeting the receptionist; a well-kept middle-aged woman named Mrs. Park. She smiled kindly and welcomed them.

“Good morning, Mr. Lee, and this must be our newest student, Mr. Kim.” She said and the boys nodded in response. “Welcome to Seoul University. Are you here to collect your student ID?”

“Yes, miss.” Jungwoo said, glancing at the document folder clasped in his hands.

“Your files, please?” Mrs. Park requested and Jungwoo handed her the folder with both hands. It took barely a minute for her to verify the information on it, and by the next minute she returned the folder to Jungwoo along with a brand-new, shiny student ID card.

“I hope that the both of you have an enjoyable school term,” Mrs. Park said earnestly. “Medical school is a lot of hard work, but it becomes tolerable with a regular class attendance and a well-structured revision timetable.”

The boys nodded and the receptionist smiled. “Thank you for stopping by the office. If any of you have any questions or issues, I am always here to help. The first course of the day begins at eight-o’clock, as you may already know, so I recommend that the both of you head to your classes as soon as possible.”

“Yes, miss, thank you.” Mark and Jungwoo said in unison before turning and walking away from Mrs. Park’s desk and out of the office building.

Mark glanced over at the student ID card in Jungwoo’s hand, which the angel was staring at in admiration.

“How did your picture come out so good? Mine looks like I hadn’t slept in days when they took it.” Mark gawked.

Only when Jungwoo began to laugh did Mark realize that he had stated the exact reason why his picture hadn’t turned out great. Laughing along with the angel, they followed the stone walkway to the faculty of medicine, oblivious to the curious glances the other students shot in their direction.

“Maybe you should re-take your photo one of these days, since you’ve actually been getting sleep.” Jungwoo joked, elbowing Mark’s side, forcing another laugh out of him.

“I should, you know.” Mark said, looking at his own student ID. Honestly, it didn’t look _that_ bad, but it did pale in comparison to Jungwoo’s own. “But then again, it’s just a student ID picture, not a photoshoot or anything.”

An idea arose in Mark’s mind. “You know, Jungwoo, you should do a photoshoot.”

Jungwoo giggled. “What makes you think so?”

Mark felt his face redden as he spoke. “Because you have everything: the looks, the height, the figure, the charisma - I bet you could make more money as a model than as a doctor.”

“Really?” Jungwoo hummed in thought as he considered Mark’s words. “In that case, maybe I should do a modelling course on the side – or I could start small with you as my photographer.”

Mark nodded, picturing himself at the beach, crouching on the ground, camera in hand, a cutely posing Jungwoo in front of him. He took his eyes off the walkway in front of him to grin up at Jungwoo.

“Yes. That sounds like a plan-”

“It certainly does!” came an animated voice from behind. Mark and Jungwoo swiveled around at the same time, coming face to face with the sandy-haired young man who had almost knocked them over the day before. This time, he was wearing normal civilian clothes – black converse, a white T-shirt and ripped jeans rather than the wizard-like black overcoat he had been wearing the last time. Like this, it was easy for Mark to see how handsome he was.

“Hey,” Mark greeted, the aftershock from his surprise wearing off. “It’s you.”

The guy laughed, the sound hearty and rich. “Yes, it’s me.” His grin only grew wider as he gave Jungwoo an acknowledging glance. The angel echoed after Mark, giving him a soft ‘hey’.

“Great to see you two again. I didn’t know you went to my university.” The guy said, falling in line with Mark, standing at his other side.

“I didn’t know either.” Mark said. “What faculty are you in?”

“English and Performing Arts. What about you?”

“Medicine.” Jungwoo said with a blinding smile. “Mark too.”

Mark nodded.

The guy let out a great ‘ah’ of realization. "You two will make great doctors. I can feel it.” He paused for a moment before his face lit up.

“So that’s your name, Mark.”

“Yep.”

“Of course you’re Mark.” The guy said with a chuckle. “Don’t ask me why, but you just radiate _Mark_ energy.”

Mark didn’t know exactly what that meant, but he knew that the guy only meant well. Jungwoo laughed, and Mark found himself joining in.

A smug look on his face, the guy turned to Jungwoo. He was clearly patting himself on the back for making the angel laugh. “So, what’s your name?”

“Jungwoo.” The angel said, beaming amiably. Quickly, he was warming up to the guy. “Did you guess that too?”

“No, actually.” The guy hummed. “But your name suits you well. It’s cute.”

The words sounded all too genuine, and Jungwoo choked on a laugh. His face flushed pink and Mark felt his own arm slide protectively around Jungwoo’s waist as his jealousy soared to an all-time high.

“Thanks, L-.” Jungwoo began, suddenly coughing into his elbow and Mark patted his side comfortingly. “ _Lovely_ for you to say that. What’s your name, by the way?” Jungwoo continued, grinning just as widely as the new guy, whose smile couldn’t possibly grow any wider.

“Lucas. Lucas Wong.” Lucas said, an honored expression on his face. He suddenly gave a loud sigh as though he had forgotten something important. “I should’ve let you guys guess it!”

“Too late.” Mark said, shrugging. Lucas pinched his nose-bridge, looking defeated.

“Next time… oh, wait.”

Jungwoo burst into laughter, so suddenly that Mark flinched. The angel was in the giggliest mood Mark had ever seen him in, and Mark couldn’t help but think of the most likely reason why. Lucas was just as handsome as Mark was, but had three times the amount of humor in his pinky finger than Mark had in his entire body. It was too easy to fall for him.

But Jungwoo wouldn’t… as a matter of fact, could he?

Lucas glanced down at his gold watch, just like the last time. “Oh shoot. Classes begin in five minutes. I’ll catch up with you guys later. Enjoy your class!”

He winked at them both and sped off, leaving a dreamy-eyed Jungwoo and a rather pale Mark.

“ _Five_ minutes? We better run!”

Mark grabbed Jungwoo’s arm and they both dashed towards the faculty of medicine, which was quite a long distance away.

*

By the time afternoon had reached, Jungwoo and Mark had finished their classes and were in the library, sitting together on bean-bags and reviewing their notes. Mark skimmed through his messy scratch of human anatomy notes and let out a great sigh, unintentionally drawing some attention to himself in the quiet room.

Jungwoo looked up at Mark with mild concern, but on seeing the helpless expression on his face, he almost burst into laughter, clasping a hand over his mouth just in the nick of time.

“I don’t get how they could spring a test on us, expecting us to recall the names of _all_ the nerves and _all_ the blood vessels in the neck. They’re crazy.” Mark whined, keeping his voice low.

Jungwoo shook his head, smiling. “Well, it’s not just for the test - you have to know them if you’re going to do surgery. On the brighter side, once you learn them now, you won’t have to learn them ever again.”

“I suppose.” Mark sighed. “But it’s still so much. I’m shocked at how you remember all of this from angel school - and not just human anatomy – but angel _and_ demon anatomy. It’s unfair how smart you are.”

Jungwoo placed a finger on his lips, playfully shushing Mark before leaning forward to whisper into his ear. “Angel school was tough, you know. We were tested every single day, and had three times the amount of homework as you.”

“But it was enjoyable because stress and distractions don’t exist in heaven.”

“You’re not wrong…” Jungwoo chuckled quietly, leaning back into his bean-bag. “Guess I can’t make my point anymore.”

Mark quickly shot Jungwoo a smile. “I appreciate your attempt though.”

He placed his hand at the back of his head, lightly combing his fingers through his hair. “So, uh, how did you learn them? Just read and recall?”

“Basically.”

“Crazy.” Mark sighed. “Why can’t I go to college in heaven?”

“You could, after you die-”

“What on earth are you guys busy whispering about?” joked a familiar voice from behind them.

Startled, both Mark and Jungwoo jolted their heads in the direction of the speaker. It was none other than Donghyuck, who looked mighty surprised to see that it was Jungwoo who was sitting next to Mark. As far as he knew, Jungwoo went to school in Canada, not Seoul, and that meant that Mark had some explaining to do, especially since he had forgotten all about calling Donghyuck the day prior.

“Nothing.” Jungwoo said with a saccharine smile. “And hello, by the way.”

“Oh, it’s you. Jungwoo, was it?” Donghyuck said, the shock barely fading from his face. “You’re going to school here now?”

“Yep. Mark forgot to tell you that I’m an exchange student.”

 _Good save_ , Mark thought, and grinned awkwardly.

“Yeah, my bad.”

Donghyuck nodded, turning to Jungwoo with a small smile. “So, what faculty are you in?”

“Medicine, just like Mark. What about you?”

“Really? I’m in Performing Arts.”

“That seems like your kind of thing.”

“It is!” Donghyuck chirped, happy to be talking about his passion. “You know, I’ve always loved singing since I was small, so choosing performing arts was the most natural choice for me.” He paused, smiling to himself. “So, what made you decide to go into medicine?”

Jungwoo hummed in thought. “Well, I’ve always wanted to help people and save lives – just like a superhero – so I chose a field that would allow me to do just that.”

Mark found himself smiling. He wished his calling to medicine had been that wholesome. More than half the reason why he was becoming a doctor was to live up to his parents’ expectations.

“That’s noble of you.” Donghyuck said, seeming just as moved as Mark was.

“I agree.” Mark chimed.

All of a sudden, the library door swung open, letting in a slightly exhausted-looking Lucas, a tall stack of books in his hands. He glanced around the library and the moment he spotted Mark, Jungwoo and Donghyuck, he broke into a wide grin and walked over to them.

“Hey you guys! I’m just joining you if you don’t mind.” Lucas whispered loudly as he collapsed onto the nearest beanbag, which happened to be right next to Jungwoo.

“Hey.” Mark and Donghyuck greeted, almost in unison. The angel beamed up at Lucas, visibly delighted to see him.

“Lucas, nice to see you. How was class?” Jungwoo said, idly bending the corners of his notebook. He earned an extra-wide grin from Lucas.

“Informative, but tiring. English is usually fun, but today our teacher decided to push us to the limit, and now my mind is swimming with vocabulary and tricky grammar rules. I apologize up front if I end up switching languages mid conversation.”

Jungwoo nodded and smiled. “Don’t apologize. Actually, feel free to switch languages if you need to. Mark and I speak English and we can translate for Donghyuck.”

“Yeah. I don’t mind.” Donghyuck said with a smile. He turned to Lucas. “Both of them are from Canada, you know.”

Mark nodded.

“Amazing.” Lucas mused, sighing in relief, and turned to Jungwoo and Mark. “Might you guys be interested in helping me with English some time?”

Jungwoo nodded, smiling happily. “I’d be glad to.”

Of course he would.

Mark bit the side of his cheek, thinking for a moment. “I wouldn’t mind helping, but I’m not the greatest teacher. Regular conversations aren’t a problem for me though.”

“He’s being honest.” Donghyuck said.

“Any help is good help.” Lucas said, moved by the willingness of his new friends to tutor him. He flipped through the pile of books resting on his lap: _Complete English Grammar: College Level for Korean Speakers, Everyday English Vocabulary, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen_ and _Advanced English: A Complete Course for Cantonese Speakers._

“So, when are you guys free?” Lucas asked, neatening up his tall stack of books.

“Anytime after classes, really.” Mark said, once again placing his hand behind his head. “Jungwoo and I aren’t particularly busy these days, and once we finish our homework quickly, we’ll have a lot of time on our hands.”

Jungwoo nodded, creasing one of the pages of his notebook.

“Great.” Lucas said, over the moon. “So, do you guys want to meet up somewhere, or do you want to exchange numbers?”

Mark’s heart jolted at the words “exchange numbers”. He wasn’t sure if he wanted Lucas to have Jungwoo’s phone number, and vice versa. He opened his mouth to respond, but Jungwoo beat him to it.

“How about both?”

“Good idea!”

Lucas pulled out his phone from his pocket. Mark wasn’t sure why it made his lip twitch, but Lucas and Jungwoo had the same type of phone. It made him want to walk down to the nearest mall and splurge, just so that he could match with the angel as well.

Lucas turned to Mark with a warm smile. “Mark, you first.”

Mark gingerly took the phone from Lucas and put in his contact information. When he was finished, he handed it back to Lucas, who then held it out to Jungwoo with both hands and a grin so large and gleeful that it made Mark’s own face muscles hurt.

“Your turn, Jungwoo.”

With a sunny smile, Jungwoo plucked the phone out of Lucas’ hands and typed in his phone number, Mark peeking at the screen from over his shoulder. Much to Mark’s relief, he saved the contact as simply ‘Jungwoo’ and switched off the screen before returning the phone to Lucas.

“Here you are.”

“Thanks.” Lucas chirped before slipping the phone back into his pocket. “I’ll call either one of you later this evening. Is that alright?”

“Yeah.” Mark and Jungwoo said in unison.

Mark gave a quick side-glance at Jungwoo. The angel was on cloud nine, triumphant to have given his number to Lucas, and Mark began to question if that was a good thing.

Donghyuck, who had been quiet throughout the exchange, spoke up. “And Mark, you also have to give me a call.” He chimed, patting Mark’s shoulder.

Mark smiled up at him.

“Of course.”

*

Mark sat at the desk in his bedroom, anatomy books sprawled out across its surface, the lamp switched on as he tried to get some late-night studying done. It was a quarter-to-ten, meaning that he had only fifteen minutes to finish up before Jungwoo would call him to bed. The angel had already gotten ready for bed and was lounging off in the living room, perhaps reading a book, giving Mark enough space to study without distraction.

But Mark realized quickly that there wasn’t much of a difference in his focus whether the angel was in the room or not, because no matter where Jungwoo was, his mind never failed to drift towards him.

Mark flipped through his textbook and sighed. At this point, he’d give anything to be able to transfer the contents of the entire book into his head, just like Jungwoo had.

If only Jungwoo would help him cheat on the test, but he couldn’t, of course. Cheating on a test counts as sinning, and angels _do not_ sin.

Mark sighed. He rested his head on top of the open textbook in front of him, pressing his cheek against the shiny printed illustrations of the human neck. Maybe the information would soak into his head that way.

Mark couldn’t place his finger on the exact time he had begun to drift off, but when he stirred awake, it was nearly eleven o’clock and the sound of Jungwoo’s energetic bantering was echoing through the corridors and into his room.

_“-good! The more confidence you have in yourself, the better you’ll get at English. It really makes all the difference…”_

Mark yawned, lifting his head off the desk and straightening his posture. The angel was on the phone with Lucas, talking about English. Their conversation wasn’t likely to be interesting. But still, Mark had the un-suppressible urge to eavesdrop. Yes, eavesdropping was bad, he knew that, but his curiosity always tended to get the better of him, especially when it came to Jungwoo.

So, Mark switched off his lamp, quietly slipped out of his desk-chair and crept to the door, pressing his ear to the wooden surface to catch on to the conversation.

Jungwoo’s bubbly laughter resounded through the apartment.

_“You think so? Lucas, you really do know how to use your words, you know.”_

Mark’s chest tightened. He wished he could hear what Lucas was saying on the other end to incite such a reaction from the angel. A short silence passed, and then came another burst of laughter.

_“He’s supposed to be studying right now… yeah, he’s busy… huh? I’m not doing anything right now, why?”_

A long silence. Mark listened with bated breath, biting the ends of his fingernails.

 _“Wait… what now? I don’t know…”_ His voice trailed off and Mark only caught the end of his words, _“-no, I’ve never done it before.”_

Mark cursed under his breath for not hearing the entire sentence.

 _“-help me feel better? Really… you would do it… for me?”_ A coy laugh. _“I… are you sure?”_ A pause. _“-I might take up your offer… how about sometime this week?”_

Heart racing, Mark pressed his ear harder against the door. Jungwoo began to speak once again, but this time Mark could no longer understand him. The angel had switched languages, speaking Cantonese just as he had been earlier that day.

It was yet another confidential (and oddly similar) conversation that Mark couldn’t follow. First, Huang Xuxi, and now Lucas. The situation was so similar, in fact, that Mark suddenly wondered if Xuxi and Lucas were the same person. But that couldn't be true - the angel didn't seem to know Lucas when they ran into him yesterday - and there was no way that they would've known each other from before - Jungwoo had dropped straight from heaven into Mark's bedroom, giving him no chance to meet anyone other than Mark first.

Mark continued to stand by the door, listening on for a couple more minutes while racking his brain, trying to recall the little Cantonese he had learnt in middle-school, but it was no use. Jungwoo spoke fast, and his tone had lowered, as though he was telling Lucas something important – or worse, a secret. His words went straight through one of Mark’s ears and out the other.

Had Jungwoo suspected that Mark would eavesdrop? Mark cringed, he hoped not. And he hadn’t even heard much, well – just enough to get intrigued.

Mark moved away from the door, heading straight to his bed where he flopped down, landing face-first onto the soft mattress, inhaling the light scent of fabric softener.

He tried to piece together Jungwoo’s responses. It seemed as though Lucas was offering Jungwoo something - something he never had done before - something that would help him feel better (why he needed to feel better, Mark didn’t know).

Could it be drugs? No, the angel would never use those. And then again, it was something that Lucas said he would _do_ for the angel... sometime this week.

Mark heaved a sigh into his pillow. Nothing seemed to fit the bill. But maybe the reason why he couldn’t think of anything because he was dead tired and quickly losing grip of consciousness.

In the morning, he’d reflect on this with a fresh, well-rested mind.

He shifted around to his side of the bed and curled up small, allowing sleep to carry him off before Jungwoo returned, otherwise he’d surely end up crossing the line and asking the angel questions that were never meant for him to ask.


	7. Black Cherry Vodka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! Yes, I spent the entirety of yesterday writing this, I was so excited to finish this one! We have a double upload, and this will be a long ride, so buckle up!💚

Never before had Mark been _this_ on edge. Ever since Jungwoo had that phone call with Lucas, Mark’s eyes and ears were sharp, ready to pick up the faintest sliver of conspiracy, and the gears in his brain were whirring at full speed, trying its best to join the pieces together.

It didn’t help his stress either, that his teachers were dropping pop-quizzes and tests left, right and center, forcing Mark to study for hours into the night instead of keeping a close watch on the angel.

Yes, Mark was being paranoid. But he couldn’t care less when he needed to find out what was going on between Jungwoo and Lucas – also known as _Huang Xuxi_.

Mark didn’t expect his suspicion to be spot-on, and it was too easy to confirm; while the angel was sleeping, Mark had secretly intercepted one of Xuxi’s calls to Jungwoo’s phone, and lo and behold, Lucas’ voice came through in Cantonese. Mouth going dry, Mark had to muster his best impression of Jungwoo’s voice, responding with a quick _‘Hey! Call you back later!”_ in English. Undoubtedly, Lucas would’ve recognized that Mark was on the other end, but that didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was that Lucas’ cover was blown.

It left Mark’s mind buzzing with questions. Why did Jungwoo have Lucas on his phone under a different name? And how on earth did he know him from before?

Now that Mark thought about it, when Lucas had run into them in the apartment complex on Sunday, Jungwoo and Lucas had been very informal with each other – and on top of that, Lucas had winked at the angel as if they both knew something Mark didn’t.

Friday was a day away, and ten times for the week had Mark thought about calling Donghyuck for advice, and twenty times had he been on the verge of asking either Jungwoo or Lucas what was up. But every time he opened his mouth to address the issue, he would shut up just as quickly, bottling his words up.

No wonder he was so highly strung.

But that wasn’t the end of his worries. Something else was bothering him: Jungwoo kept on receiving strange packages in the mail.

“I did some online shopping!” The angel had said the first day Mark found him signing a large package at the door. But this time around, he wouldn’t open the packages within Mark’s vision – and maybe Mark was going insane – but it seemed as though he was hiding some of them away. It was baffling how Jungwoo knew the tiny apartment better than Mark did, because whenever Mark searched for the packages, he could never find them.

And it wasn’t that Mark could track the angel’s purchases. Jungwoo had his own money – that was an understatement – he had a _black credit card_ inscribed with his name in sterling silver. The first time Mark had seen it, he had to bend over to pick his jaw up off the ground. Then, he made the angel laugh by asking him when he was going to buy them a house.

How the angel remained humble was equally a mystery as his questionable relationship with Lucas.

And speaking of Lucas, he had been turning up at the apartment almost every day to meet up, but because Mark was bombarded by exams and needed to have his head buried underneath layers of anatomy textbooks twenty-four-seven, Lucas often ended up alone with Jungwoo, and they’d go out in Lucas’ flashy sports car to ‘not distract Mark while they practice English’.

Yeah right, when every time Jungwoo returned, he could barely make it through the front door because both his arms would be heavily strung with shopping bags all the way up to his elbows.

“Lucas insisted that he’d take me shopping.” He would proclaim with a giggle, showing Mark the piles of clothes that Lucas had bought for him.

Mark sighed. He glanced from his messy books on the dining table to the kitchen. The angel was there, pouring himself a glass of water while chatting up Lucas on the phone as he usually did.

Talking excitedly, he jammed the phone between his shoulder and ear and picked up a bottle of medication from the counter-top, popping open the lid and taking out a bright orange pill. In one fluid motion, he threw it back, immediately chasing it down with water. Only then did Jungwoo notice Mark staring, and he shot him a thumbs-up before strolling off into the bedroom.

Mark let his gaze linger in the kitchen, wondering if he should take his vitamins too. Jungwoo had kindly bought him his own, reminding him that his health was always top priority, especially during exam season. The angel was always perceptive, caring for him in ways both big and small – but Mark, caught up in his paranoia, sometimes lost sight of that.

It was very possible that Mark was blowing this whole Jungwoo and Lucas thing way out of proportion. But then again, maybe he’d understand their friendship better if he hung around with them more often.

He needed to finish studying, and fast.

*

Mark had barely scratched a dent in his chest anatomy revision by the time Lucas rang the bell on the front door of the apartment. By the time Mark had raised his head off of the dining table, Jungwoo had already scampered from the bedroom to the door, all dolled up in a black button-up shirt and skinny jeans, and let in an equally well-dressed Lucas.

“Lucas!” Jungwoo chimed.

“Good evening, Jungwoo!” Lucas exclaimed, engulfing the bright-eyed angel in a tight hug which probably squeezed the air out of his lungs. Once he decided that it was time for Jungwoo to breathe, Lucas let go and noticed a stressed, tired-looking Mark in the corner of the room. “And Mark! Nice to see you, man. What’s up?”

Mark smiled weakly. “Studying, studying and guess what else – studying.”

“Sounds rough.” Lucas sighed, then did a thumbs-up. “I know you’ll get there, man.”

“You know, I did ask him if he wanted help.” Jungwoo said, shaking his head as one would to a child. “Are you sure you don’t want my help, Mark? You look like you really need it.”

Mark shook his head, smiling reassuringly this time. “No thanks, it’s fine. I’ll get through on my own. Good for self-discipline and all that.”

Jungwoo nodded half-believingly. “If you say so.” He gave a small smile. “Just know I’m always here to help.”

“I would help too, if I could.” Lucas suggested, “-but all I know about science is that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.”

The silly meme reference brought a grin to Mark’s face. Although Lucas was his unofficial love rival, he couldn’t help but like the guy and his unique sense of humor.

“Lucas!” Jungwoo laughed out. “I’m sure you’d remember more if you tried.”

Lucas hummed in thought and listed random topics. “Photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, osmoregulation, blood glucose regulation. You’re right, I do remember something – well, if the names count.”

Jungwoo nodded, grinning widely at Lucas who grinned back. “Yeah, it counts. Good job.”

Mark couldn’t watch them for much longer. There was a limit to the amount of sappy dreamy-eyed stares he could handle.

“Yes,” Lucas said contentedly. “We’ll be off now – we’re heading down to my house to study.”

“Alright.” Mark said, forcing a smile. His _house_? Gee, what didn’t he have? The angel, perhaps. Maybe Lucas thought that having Jungwoo on his arm would complete his luxury collection.

Jungwoo seemed to look through Mark’s tense expression and walked over to him. “Don’t worry Mark, I’ll be back soon. Keep safe until then.” He said, placing his hand on Mark’s shoulder and giving it a gentle pat.

“I will.” Mark affirmed, basking in Jungwoo’s warm touch. He hadn’t felt that sensation in a while, and he almost forgot that the angel’s hands could cure diseases. Mark recharged like a battery, and Jungwoo smiled at him knowingly before returning to Lucas’ side.

“So, ten o’ clock for the latest?” Lucas announced and Jungwoo nodded.

“That’s fine with me. Mark?”

“Yeah. See you then.”

Lucas held open the front door for Jungwoo to leave first, then followed closely behind, the both of them echoing a cheery ‘good bye!’.

And just like that, Mark was left alone with his textbooks in his apartment.

He yawned. Studying alone wasn’t going to be any fun, especially when he was tired. Rejecting his textbooks, he slid out of his chair and strode out of the dining room, through the corridor and slipped into the bathroom where he prepared to wash his face.

Mark picked up the bottle of trusty face-wash on the sink counter and squeezed it, frowning when nothing came out. At least he had a replacement in the bathroom cupboard. Sighing, he tossed the empty bottle in the bin and pulled open the drawer underneath the sink.

Immediately, his eyes widened. At the top of the drawer were some of Jungwoo’s packages – thin, flat and wrapped in coarse brown paper. Mark dried his dampened hands on his shirt before picking up each one, counting five similar packages with the same writing on top: _To J.W. from X.X. I kinda thought you might need this._

Mark bit the side of his cheek. This was from the same person who had sent Jungwoo the gold-covered box on Sunday, the first day they met. _“Probably from the Angel’s Association, I don’t know.”_ Jungwoo had said when Mark asked him about it.

Mark stared at the initials again. Suddenly, time froze.

 _X.X_.

How could he have been so blind? _Xu Xi_. Huang Xuxi. It was from Lucas. Mark brought his hands to his temples and rubbed them soothingly. So, all this time Jungwoo had known Lucas. But _how?_ Lucas was too materialistic to be an angel, but yes, he did have a genuine heart. Maybe his wealth was a guise, and he was actually one of those angel mentors Jungwoo had been talking about earlier in the week.

But that couldn’t be. Lucas wasn’t the mentoring type, and no way had he gone to angel school – he was a far cry from being as book-smart as Jungwoo. However, he was a genius when it came to people – and flirting – but you don’t learn how to be people-smart in a class.

Mark heaved a sigh. This was one tricky puzzle to solve.

Turning one of the packages from front to back, it didn’t look very grand, and it didn’t seem like there was anything special inside. Mark felt the package and tried to guess what was inside. It was some sort of fabric; smooth, fluid-like and thin. Two packages were opened – one was empty, the second was not.

Heart pounding, Mark lifted the flap of the second package – tipped the open end into his hand - the contents slid out – he gasped.

He paled, then his face set ablaze. What did Lucas think he was doing, giving the angel something like _this?_

Mark felt like he was going to hell just for simply looking at it: a sheer black silk lingerie camisole with fine, intricate lace adorning the low neckline and lower hem, and came with a matching second piece. He gingerly held out the delicate top – Mark was short, so it reached his knees - but on Jungwoo, it would reach his mid-thigh.

Mark flushed. In the mirror, his entire face and ears were bright red just from imagining the angel wearing it. Hastily, he shook his head as if the enticing mental image would go flying out of his brain.

At this point, he needed to hurry up and get acquainted with the devil so that he’d at least have a friend when his turn for eternal damnation rolled around. In fact, there was no need to – he already had one. Lucas was _definitely_ coming down with him. After all, he _sent_ Jungwoo the lingerie in the first place.

Mark wondered why Jungwoo hadn’t struck Lucas with heavenly lightning as yet. Maybe tonight he would – but the sky was clear, and it would be too obvious that Jungwoo was using divine powers – which could get him targeted by the government for human experiments or something.

It was perplexing how they were still good friends – and it wasn’t like Jungwoo hadn’t seen the clothing – _one package had been emptied._ Mark shuddered. No way he was actually wearing it-

Burning up again, Mark shoved the lingerie back into its package, pressed it into the drawer with the other packages (presumably containing more lingerie, to Mark’s horror), grabbed his backup facewash and slammed the drawer shut.

Ten minutes passed with Mark running icy tap water on his face, hoping to wash away the cloying guilt – not just from his eyes – but from his mind and soul. He had been there for so long that Mark really shouldn’t have been surprised when his face looked utterly washed-out after he dried it. His stressed-out look was finally complete; this was the cherry on top of his misery.

Mark let out a groan of frustration. He needed advice.

He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and pulled out his phone. A name had popped up into his head, and Mark clicked on his contact and called it. Almost instantly, he picked up.

“Hey Mark, what’s up?”

“Jeno, I need advice. Can I come over, please?”

“Oh… sure thing.”

*

Jeno’s apartment was exactly one floor above Mark’s own, and so strategically placed that if Jeno wanted to, he could climb through his window and slip into Mark’s room through the window below, entering right into his bedroom. They often joked about doing it, but it was so crazy that they never got around to actually trying it.

Mark took the long way around and trudged up the stairs to reach the apartment, where Jeno was waiting for him at the door with a kind smile, but it didn’t mask the concern lingering on his face. Mark immediately pulled him into a tight, desperate embrace.

“Dude, are you okay? You didn’t sound too great over the phone.” Jeno said, patting Mark’s back reassuringly. Mark sighed, pulling away from the hug to muster Jeno a feeble smile.

“No. I’m absolutely confused, and I need some clarity – and someone trustworthy to vent to.”

Jeno gave a nervous laugh, taken aback by Mark’s frankness. “Sounds serious. I’ll try my best to help you, okay?”

Mark nodded. “Thanks, dude.”

Jeno led Mark into the apartment, which looked identical to Mark’s, but had a significantly larger number of succulent plants, most likely given to him by his older brother, Doyoung. Jeno gestured for Mark to sit down on the couch. “Take a seat in the meanwhile. I’m going to get you a glass of water and-”

“Actually, do you have any alcohol?”

Jeno narrowed his eyes, looking uncertain. “Mark, alcohol isn’t a good way to deal with these things, you know.”

“Please.”

“Alright,” Jeno said slowly. “I guess a little bit won’t hurt.”

He disappeared into the kitchen and came back in less than a minute with a tall bottle of black cherry vodka and two shot-glasses. Mark’s eyebrows raised the moment Jeno placed it down on the coffee table with a light clinking sound.

“Fancy. I didn’t know you were into alcohol.” Mark said, hoping that the drink tasted just as good as the packaging made it look.

Jeno shook his head, grinning. “I got it for my birthday. You know Jaemin, the guy whose family owns Nana’s ice-cream parlor? He gifted it to me.”

“Yeah, I know him. I didn’t know you were friends. He’s got a good taste for birthday gifts.”

“He does.” Jeno mused as he unscrewed the top of the bottle and poured a handsome amount of vodka into the shot glasses. “We’ve been just friends for a few months now, but before the end of this week, I’m planning to ask him out.”

“Seriously?” Mark said with a chuckle, pleasantly surprised at the news. “Best of luck, dude. I think you two would look great together.”

Jeno began to blush. “Thanks dude.” He said, lost in his thoughts for a moment before suddenly turning to Mark in realization. “Ah, I almost forgot. How are things going with Jungwoo? You two looked mighty happy the last time I saw you.”

Mark wistfully stared at his shot glass. “Yeah, we were happy then. But now, not so much. He’s half the reason why I’m here.”

Jeno raised a brow. “Half the reason? What’s the other half?”

“One of the guys from your Performing Arts class. Lucas Wong.”

Jeno nodded knowingly. “Oh, Xuxi? Rich kid, jokes all the time, likes to get into trouble, et cetera. He’s a good friend of mine – and a really nice guy. Group projects aren’t fun without him.” He said admiringly.

Mark bit his lip. He did not want to hear anybody praising Lucas at this point of time. “Yeah, him.” He licked his lips nervously. “You call him Xuxi?”

“Yeah, he asks his close friends to call him that. He doesn’t mind being called either name, but don’t call him by his third name – only his mother calls him that.”

Mark nodded. “Ah.”

So, Lucas regarded Jungwoo as a close friend. That was expected. But having _three_ whole names - guess that’s Lucas for you. Mark took a sip of his vodka. It was stronger than he braced himself for, but the sweet cherry flavor made up for the burning at the back of his throat.

“I think I know what you’re getting at.” Jeno remarked, pausing to take a drink. “I _have_ noticed that Lucas and Jungwoo have been virtually inseparable these days, for some reason or another. But honestly, that’s just how it is when Lucas makes a new friend – in fact, how long has he known Jungwoo for? Two weeks? He’s not _new_ , but new enough I guess.”

Mark’s eyes widened. Today was Thursday, and Jungwoo had appeared last Sunday. Since then, barely one week had passed.

“ _Two_ weeks? Are you sure?”

Jeno seemed to realize something and shook his head hurriedly. “One week.” He pointed to the shot glass in his other hand. “Must’ve been the alcohol.”

Mark couldn’t help but feel an inkling at the back of his mind, telling him that Jeno was telling the truth the first time around. He knew about Freudian slips, and he strongly felt as though that must’ve been one. Did Jeno know that Jungwoo had met Lucas from before?

“Why did you say two weeks?” Mark asked.

Jeno flinched. “I probably mixed it up with Jaemin’s birthday – it’s in two weeks. Why?”

Mark, reluctant to believe him, threw back the rest of his vodka. “Nothing, really. I just thought that I was Jungwoo’s first friend since he came here from Canada and became my room-mate. But somehow I feel as though Lucas somehow got to know him before me.”

Jeno gave a weak, oddly suspicious laugh. “Seems so, huh? It’s amazing how quickly friendships can develop.”

Mark sighed, holding out his shot glass to Jeno. “Could you fill this up, dude?”

Jeno nodded and accidentally poured so much vodka into Mark’s glass that it almost overflowed. Mark noticed a tremor to his hand as he tilted the bottle, but remained silent about it.

“I wish I could be just as close to Jungwoo as Lucas is, you know. I really do like him.” Mark said longingly. “But I don’t think he likes me in that way.”

“I don’t think so.” Jeno chuckled, almost relieved to change the topic. “Lucas told me that Jungwoo can’t stop gushing over _you_ whenever they meet up or talk on the phone. It’s never him. Always you.”

Mark felt his cheeks go red – well – redder than the vodka had made it. “That’s news.”

“News? Well, I can see why.” Jeno’s tone suddenly became more serious. “Lucas also told me that Jungwoo wishes you would pay him more attention – you’re always studying, supposedly, and he almost regrets having encouraged you to do so in the first place.”

Mark’s expression dropped. He thought that studying hard would make the angel happy, but in retrospect, he completely overdid it and caused the opposite to happen.

Jeno continued. “I was actually going to call you up on it, but I didn’t think it was my place – yet here we are.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s hanging out more with Lucas – because I haven’t been.” Mark pondered out loud, glaring at his drink before downing it. “I didn’t think it was me, but life is full of surprises.”

“Yeah.” Jeno said comfortingly. “But it’s not a problem that can’t be fixed. Talk to Jungwoo. A little bit of communication goes a long way.”

“You’re right.” Mark said, nodding. He smiled up at Jeno. “Thanks for the advice, dude. I knew I could count on you.”

“Anytime.” Jeno said, returning the smile.

Mark glanced back down at his empty shot glass. “How about one more?”

Jeno laughed mirthfully. He replenished the drink in both of their glasses, his hand steady this time as he held the bottle.

“Sure. Let’s down it together.”

*

Giggling uncontrollably, Mark stumbled into his apartment, shut the door behind him without locking it and crashed onto the couch. He knew well that he had too much to drink, but it didn’t faze him. His body felt light, and it was as though he was walking on air.

He forgot all about Lucas and the questionable packages he had sent Jungwoo – and lost all memory of Jeno’s Freudian slip and his exam bright and early tomorrow. He was stress-free and it felt _good._ In fact, when last had he felt like this? Maybe when he was a baby. Babies don’t have any worries at all. Must be nice.

Mark looked around at his surroundings. He had whole apartment to himself, he felt like a king in his castle. But someone was missing – where was his queen? A glance to the living room clock told Mark that it was quarter past eleven. What time did Jungwoo say he was coming back, again?

_Ten o’ clock._

He was more than an hour late. That got Mark half-sober, and he began to worry, lip quivering sadly and mumbling nonsense under his breath.

“What if he tripped on a stone, hurt himself and is now at the hospital getting treated? Yeah, but he could’ve also lost his way back home. No, he must’ve found a Mark clone and went home with him-”

Mark wallowed so deeply in his drunken, pessimistic thoughts that he didn’t hear the front door slowly creak open, or the clicking of shoes entering the apartment, or the jingling of keys locking back the door.

Mark was so pleasantly shocked that he was almost brought to tears when Jungwoo suddenly crashed into the other couch next to him, exhausted, but the smile on his face shone more brilliant than the sun. Mark could feel its warmth radiating all the way from where he was.

“Hey Markie.” Jungwoo chirped. “How did everything go?”

Mark didn’t hear a word Jungwoo had said. He was too busy staring at his hair, which was now jet-black.

“You changed your hair color!” Mark gasped out, awe-struck. “It looks good – no, you look really good! I did like the blonde, but this is great.” He drawled.

Jungwoo giggled. What an angelic sound, tipsy Mark thought. “Thanks. I thought you’d like it.”

“Can I touch it?” Mark asked innocently, and Jungwoo giggled once again.

“Sure. The dye was washed out properly, so it should be fine.” He said, rolling off the couch like a cat and strolling towards Mark before dropping down cross-legged on the floor in front of him, leaning his back against the seat of the couch. Mark gently ran his fingers through Jungwoo’s newly done hair and grinned contentedly.

“It’s soft.” Mark sighed out happily. “I could sit here all day.”

“Me too.” Jungwoo said, relaxing into Mark’s touch. “We should do this more often.”

“Absolutely.” Mark said with a smile, tracing circles onto Jungwoo’s scalp. “You know, I usually hate touching people, but not you. You’re different.”

“How different?”

“Good different. Special. Quite possibly, perfect.”

Jungwoo chuckled, but there was a bittersweet undertone to it the moment Mark had said ‘perfect’. “I’m glad you think so.”

Mark continued to comb his fingers through Jungwoo’s hair, murmuring drunken positive words to him as he did so.

“Kind… beautiful… lovely….” He slurred, trailing his hands down Jungwoo’s neck and onto to his clothed shoulders, where he began to knead his palms.

Jungwoo giggled nervously. “A shoulder massage? Thanks Mark.”

Mark continued to press his hands into Jungwoo’s shoulders, enjoying it for the first five minutes until he realized that he was doing it all wrong. He needed to massage his _shoulders,_ not his shirt. Without giving any warning, Mark delicately undid the first few buttons of (a half asleep) Jungwoo’s shirt and slid his sleeves past his shoulders – wait - he had to blink twice – something else was there?

No way.

On Jungwoo’s exposed shoulders, there were two black, lacy bands which connected to a piece of clothing that was all too familiar to Mark. Why the angel was wearing it - sober Mark probably would’ve jumped to conclusions and gotten angry – but thankfully, tipsy Mark was going to figure that out in his own way.

He giggled. “Jungwoo,” He whispered into the angel’s ear. Jungwoo stirred in his sleep, eyes slowly fluttering open. The angel was too tired to read the situation.

“Hm?”

Mark traced his fingers underneath the straps of Jungwoo’s lingerie. “Are you wearing this for me?”

That sent Jungwoo flinching awake, pulling his sleeves back on. “What are you talking about?”

Mark pulled back down Jungwoo’s sleeves and pulled on the elastic straps so that when he let go, they painlessly slapped against his skin. He hummed in amusement.

“Your lingerie. Lucas bought it for you so that you could show it off to me, right?”

From the hysterical laugh that escaped Jungwoo, Mark could see the angel’s embarrassed, reddened face.

“How do you know that?” The angel asked, pulling his knees to his chest, hoping to make himself smaller.

“A hunch.” Mark said wittily. He was happy the angel didn’t get angry at him for meddling with his business. Thank goodness for alcohol and its ability to raise his confidence. “So, when are you going to model for me?” He asked.

“I wasn’t exactly planning to-” Jungwoo’s voice grew tiny. “-but I guess I could…”

“Yay!” Mark shouted like a happy child on his birthday, throwing his arms up in the air. Then, he mellowed out, his expression turning confused. “I didn’t know that angels could wear that sort of thing. I’m not complaining, not at _all_ \- I’m just curious.”

Jungwoo laughed again, growing self-conscious. “Not all angels can. Just me. I won’t get in trouble for it – remember how you said that I’m different?” He giggled into his hands. “And it’s not strange for me to wear. If you knew angel anatomy, you’d know why.”

“Ah, so Lucas knows angel anatomy, that’s why he bought it for you?”

Jungwoo burst out in nervous laughter, burying his face in his hands once again. “Perhaps.”

Mark hummed to himself, playing with Jungwoo’s hair once again. “So, I guess he does know a bit more than the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell.”

Jungwoo nodded.

Mark furrowed his brows, confused again. “Where on earth _did_ he learn about your kind of anatomy?” He questioned, deep in thought. “Is he an angel too?”

“No, he’s not.” Jungwoo said, fiddling with his buttons. His voice lowered to a quiet, almost regretful mumble. “And about the anatomy, he just happened to find out.”

Mark let out a loud yawn, his mind fixated elsewhere, not really taking the angel on and not even recognizing that he had said something important. “I think we’ve talked enough about Lucas.” He brightened up. “I want to see your outfit.”

Jungwoo giggled, his ears burning up. “You’re too eager, aren’t you.” He turned to look at Mark right in the eyes. “But before I do that, you have to make two promises.”

“Go ahead.” Mark coaxed.

“The first promise I’ll ask you to make now, and the second a bit later: Now, promise that you won’t look at me with lustful eyes.”

Mark bit his tongue. He could find a loophole – he’d watch him with loving eyes – there’s a difference. “I promise.” He swore, his tone earnest. “I’ll pretend that I’m a fashion critic.”

Jungwoo smiled adoringly. “Fair enough.”

The angel got up from the floor and took a still-tipsy Mark by the wrist, pulling him off the couch and leading him into the bedroom, which was pitch-black except for the faint orange light of Mark’s desk lamp. Jungwoo put Mark to sit on the edge of the bed, excitedly anticipating the realization of the mental image he had made earlier on.

“Remember your promise, Markie.” Jungwoo cooed, standing in the middle of the room, his front facing Mark although his eyes were cast to the floor. Mark wondered why he didn’t just turn around, but he wasn’t going to protest. Slowly, the angel began to unbutton his shirt, revealing more and more of the lacy black lingerie he was wearing. Turning sideways to cover up, he folded his shirt neatly and placed it on Mark’s desk, reminding Mark of who he was – any other person would’ve tossed the shirt aside carelessly. Mark didn’t mind, though, and it didn’t ruin the mood. The angel was special in his own way, and he loved him for that.

“So, how is it?” Jungwoo almost squeaked out, highly embarrassed as he moved his hands away from covering his body. The lights didn’t have to be fully on for Mark to see the furious blush creeping over his cheeks as he said it.

Mark excitedly took in the view and couldn’t help but gape. Yes, Jungwoo was still wearing his skinny jeans and oxford shoes, but seeing him in the top was enough to bless Mark’s eyes and the eyes of his descendants for generations and generations to come.

The lingerie was similar to the one Mark had seen earlier, the same sheer material and ornate lace edging the neckline and hem, but the main difference was the _length._ The bottom lace of the camisole stopped a little above Jungwoo’s navel, and half of the angel’s slender stomach was on display. In fact, Mark could see his entire chest through the fabric, and Mark had to pinch himself. He had to keep his side of the promise.

“I-” Mark started, going red in the face. “I don’t know what to say.”

Jungwoo laughed coyly. “It’s fine, just tell me whatever comes to mind.”

“Okay.” Mark took a deep breath in and let his mind do the speaking, even though it was highly risky. “It fits your figure well, and it accentuates your features. You look beautiful in it – more beautiful than before. I think it was a good choice.”

The angel covered his face with his hands, taken over by a wave of shyness. “What a relief.” He said - well - what Mark could hear of his muffled voice.

“So, what about the back?” Mark suggested, scooting closer to the edge of the bed.

Jungwoo laughed again, more nervously this time. He moved his hands from his face but could barely speak audibly. “Ah, here’s where the second promise comes in.”

Mark nodded impatiently. “Tell me.”

“Alright. This one involves swearing on the High One.”

Mark froze slightly.

This seemed like a serious promise. In exchange for seeing, did he have to take a vow of chastity for the rest of his life - and remain a virgin forever? For Jungwoo, maybe he would. Even if Jungwoo went back to heaven the next day, without looking back, Mark couldn’t see himself wanting to live with anybody else.

Jungwoo sighed before continuing, his expression bittersweet and melancholy.

“Do you promise to love me for who I am, even though I am not perfect?”

Mark felt his heart jolt. The grave way he had stated his words almost brought a terrible shiver down his spine. Reflecting on it, Jungwoo had always reacted strangely to that word ‘perfect’, whether spoken by others or himself. But how could he not be, though? Even wearing seductive clothing, the angel was pure, carrying himself with innocence and dignity. Mark had faith that Jungwoo was overexaggerating, and knew his answer.

“Yes, I swear on the High One.”

Suddenly, Jungwoo’s eyes began to softly glow gold before fading, and he gave a weak smile. “Okay.” He slowly turned around, the dim light from the desk-lamp shining through the semi-translucent material.

The back seemed normal – his straps crisscrossing over his thin shoulder-blades - lace lining the edges – and then Mark saw it.

He immediately became sober, feeling the color drain from his face, his entire body stripping itself of all the joy and happiness it contained, leaving him completely blank and vulnerable. A sharp, shooting pain lanced through Mark’s chest, as though someone had shot a bullet through his heart. He clutched his chest.

He was hurting for the angel.

On either side of Jungwoo’s spine were two long, pale, jagged scars where his wings should’ve been.

“Jungwoo,” Mark choked out, pain in his chest still lingering. “What happened to your wings?”

A sob. Mark scrambled off the bed and ran towards the angel, who was trembling so much that he might’ve crumpled to the ground. Mark grasped the angel into his arms, letting Jungwoo rest his head on his chest as he soothingly rubbed his back, right where the pitiful scars were.

“Did you lose them when you fell from heaven?” Mark asked.

“No.” Jungwoo hiccupped, gripping the fabric of Mark’s T-shirt. “I- I lost them on the first day I arrived here.”

“Sunday?”

“No, last week Friday. Two weeks ago.”

Mark felt his body go rigid. _Two weeks ago_. Jeno’s Freudian slip had told him the truth. Jungwoo had met _Lucas_ two weeks ago.

Mark leaned closer to Jungwoo’s face, which the angel hid away. It broke his heart: Jungwoo was so ashamed that he could only look to the floor.

“Did it involve Lucas?”

A silence.

“Yes - but it was all an accident.” Jungwoo’s voice trembled as he began to cry. His warm tears soaked into Mark’s shirt, clinging the fabric to his skin, but Mark couldn’t care less about his shirt when he had his angel to comfort.

Jungwoo continued. “The day I was kicked out of heaven, I found myself on the steps of a church. Terrified and clueless, I got up and saw a bar nearby, where I thought I could find some solace and drink my fears away – it’s stupid, but humans do it, so I thought that I could do it too. There, I met Lucas. He didn’t know who I was, he bought me drinks - I got dead drunk - he took me home – I didn't know what I was doing but I told him yes - then he slept with me.”

Jungwoo’s entire frame jolted as he sobbed, and Mark held him even tighter, his love for the angel unwavering, but his anger at Lucas was boiling and bubbling up in his chest.

“When I woke up the next day, my wings were gone. I felt as though I might die. Lucas begged me for my forgiveness, swore to make it up to me, promising that he would do everything and anything to give me a happy life. Lucas vowed that he would find a way to reunite me with you.” He laughed sadly. “I was too scared and guilty to confront you – but Lucas wouldn’t back down, encouraging me and seeking help for me – he didn’t fail to hold up his side of the promise. He’s forever indebted to me, and I forgave him.”

Jungwoo looked up at Mark, noticing his steely expression which in all his life he had never made before. “Mark. Please forgive him-”

“I don’t think I can.” Mark almost growled. “He _tainted_ my guardian angel, locking him out of heaven forever. How could I – how could _you_ forgive him? To me, Lucas is unforgivable.”

“Mark, please.” Jungwoo sobbed. “For me. Forgive him.”

Jungwoo’s pleading words made it impossible for Mark to remain angry. Against his will he felt his heart soften, his callous glare fading out on seeing the angel’s wide, tear-brimmed eyes and reddened nose. The sight reminded him of the first day they met, when he had turned up under his bed - a rather strange place for an angel to appear. But of course, it was strange. It was part of _Lucas’_ hand-crafted master plan to reunite them.

Mark felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. He brought his hand on top of Jungwoo’s head, petting his hair affectionately. “Okay. I forgive him. Although I wish things would’ve turned out differently, at least you’re here now.”

Jungwoo smiled through his tears, pressing his body closer to Mark’s. He whispered. “Thank you, Mark.”

“No need. You forgave him, so who am I not to do the same? And, he’s genuinely sorry for what he’s done and is making it up to you in any way he can– what more could I ask for?” Mark said, his tone gradually returning to how it usually was; bright and playful. He lightly tickled the angel’s sides, causing him to laugh. “So, let me guess. You snuck into my apartment through Jeno’s, didn’t you?”

Jungwoo laughed, his sadness dissipating with Mark’s cheerfulness. “Yeah, and it was a lot more fun than I had expected. The hardest part of the plan was crawling under your bed and crying on command.”

“Really? You can’t cry on command?”

“Not really. I only cry when I mean it.”

“So, what did you think about when you cried?”

Jungwoo chuckled softly. “The plan failing.”

Mark didn’t want to squeeze the angel any tighter, otherwise he feared that he might crush him. He settled for placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Wow. There’s no need to worry about that anymore, though. I’m here. You’re here. You’ve succeeded.”

Jungwoo sighed contentedly, pulling away from the embrace to gaze lovingly into Mark’s eyes. “I have.” He gave Mark a wistful smile.

“I want to tell you the reason why I fell from heaven. Do you want to hear it?”

Mark felt his chest tighten, but he felt strong enough to handle whatever grenade Jungwoo had to throw at him.

“Yes.” He affirmed.

The angel brought his hands to the sides of Mark’s face - Mark almost thought that he was going to bless him – but instead, he touched their foreheads together and began to whisper.

“I fell because I broke a divine law. The law stating that an angel cannot fall in love with the human they protect.” Jungwoo continued, no regret or remorse in his words, only unadulterated sincerity.

“I fell in love with you, Mark.”

If words could heal, Jungwoo’s words patched up every bruise and scratch in Mark’s shattered heart, piecing together the broken shards, fusing them into a new, better version of what it had ever been. Mark’s eyes began to sting, and his lip began to tremble – but he willed his tears away.

“I – I also fell in love w-with you.”

And with that, Jungwoo leaned forwards, tilting his head to the side and pressed his soft lips against Mark’s in a chaste, sinless kiss. Salvation, Mark thought. This is salvation. The quiet apartment melted away until the only figment of reality Mark could grasp onto was the gentle connection between him and Jungwoo, the salty tears on his lips reminding Mark of a boundless ocean, a limitless future he’d spend with the angel safe in his arms, just like this. Jungwoo may have been perfect no longer, but he was the perfect completion to Mark – and they both knew that as long as they were together, that was enough. Nothing else could they want.

Giggling, Jungwoo parted from the kiss, staring expectantly into Mark’s eyes, awaiting his reaction. He moved his hands from Mark’s face, trailing them down to his hands which he clutched, intertwining their fingers.

“I feel like I’ve had a taste of heaven.” Mark laughed, dazed, his consciousness phasing between a daydream and reality.

Jungwoo’s eyes softly glowed gold. There was no sadness left in them, only joy and excitement, and it brought happy tears to Mark’s eyes. Mark squeezed Jungwoo’s hands, and the gold light grew stronger. “So, what should we do now?” He asked.

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

Mark glanced downwards, grinning when his gaze falling onto Jungwoo’s lacy top. “Actually, I was wondering if you could continue your little show for me - only if you want to, though.”

Jungwoo giggled, playing with the soft fabric of his top. “Sure. And maybe I’ll teach you a thing or two about angel anatomy – and the reason why this fits me so well.”

Mark laughed, an eager excitement brimming in his heart.

“I can’t wait.”


	8. You're My Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is it, you guys. I suggest you pick up a handkerchief before you read this one. Happy tears may be shed.💚

Mark gave a great sigh of relief, unable to suppress a smile the moment he had walked past the automatic doors of the hospital. He took off the pin on his scrubs – a bronze tag stating Dr. Lee Mark, and he carefully pocketed it. His extra-long shift had just finished, and _finally,_ he could return home. He could barely contain his laughter as he got into his SUV, started up the engine and drove off the hospital compound.

Work was almost unbearable without Jungwoo on shift with him, and that’s how it had been for the past few months. Yes, Jungwoo was on maternity leave.

To the other doctors, Dr. Lee Jungwoo was a medical miracle – a one of a kind. A presenting male, but biologically both male and female, having all the faculties necessary to carry each of Mark’s four children to full term.

To Mark, Jungwoo was simply an angel – both metaphorically and literally – as well as his husband of five years.

Less than a year after graduating from university, they had gotten married, and Mark could remember the day as if it was yesterday. It had taken place at a private beach on a crisp, sunny day, and Mark pictured the magnificent wedding arch that he had stood under, adorned with the apple-red and white roses that Jungwoo had chosen for them. But the star of the show was the angel himself, beaming gloriously in his immaculate wedding robes. More beautiful than all of the wedding decorations combined, Jungwoo had almost cried happy tears as he walked down the aisle to Mark, who couldn’t help but draw him into his arms and kiss his face through his veil.

If Mark was given the opportunity to relive the day, he would, and he wouldn’t change a single thing about it. Everything had turned out perfectly, even with the uncontrollable sobbing of Jungwoo’s best man, Lucas, who had to be calmed down by his fiancé, Donghyuck. Jeno and Jaemin, on their first year of marriage, had been there too, and swaddled up Jaemin’s arms was their first adopted son, little Jisung.

Quickly and safely, Mark pulled up into the driveway of his large family home and parked the car in the garage. He shut off the engine and stepped out of the car, locking it behind him. Checking his watch, it was ten in the night, very late. The children - or the angels as he called them - were definitely sound asleep by now, and maybe Jungwoo was sleeping as well-

“Mark!” came the sweet voice Mark loved as Jungwoo dashed out of the house to greet him, throwing his arms around him, overjoyed to see his beloved husband. “I've been waiting all day for you!”

Mark clasped the angel tightly against his chest, closing his eyes as he swayed back and forth in the warm embrace. “Jungwoo, I couldn’t be happier to see you right now. Work was colorless without you.”

The angel giggled, the sound the same as Mark had always remembered. Nothing else Mark loved to hear more after a long, stressful day at the hospital. Mark opened his eyes to gaze at Jungwoo. The angel hadn’t aged a day since the night they met. Those who didn’t know better said that he wore makeup – but no, the angel had an everlasting supply of youth – and he was generous enough to share it with Mark, allowing both of them to look as though they were pushing twenty, although in reality, they were in their early thirties.

“Home wasn’t the same without you.” Jungwoo mused. “We all missed you, especially poor Minwoo. He wouldn’t stop crying until I showed him our wedding pictures.”

“Oh gosh.” Mark laughed, but his heart felt heavy in his chest. “Good thing I don’t have work tomorrow, or the day after. I think we should organize a family outing for the angels and us. How about the seaside?”

Jungwoo grinned brightly, his smile almost illuminating the dark night around them. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Markie.”

Markie.

Over the years, ‘Markie’ had become a cue. Not long after Jungwoo would mutter the nickname, his eyes would close, and Mark would slide his hands around his waist, pulling him into a sweet kiss that always lingered with the taste of eternal paradise.

They prolonged the kiss this time, having dearly missed each other that day, and the only reason they pulled apart was to catch their breath.

“Really, nothing is better than coming home to you, Jungwoo.” Mark mused, gazing into the eyes of the slightly breathless, contented angel in front of him.

Jungwoo giggled. “And nothing makes me happier than when we are together – you, me, the angels – our little family. Thank you for taking care of us and loving us, dear Mark.”

Mark gave a cheesy grin. “There’s no need to thank me. It’s what I do.”

And with that, Jungwoo joined his lips with Mark’s once more, the kiss more playful this time. As always, it was filled with the perfect love that they shared, the innocent need to be attached that would never dwindle away, even with the passing of years. Now and eternally, they were one.

And of course, Mark laughed into the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. We’ve come so far. I can’t believe that after four months, Under His Bed is finally finished! Me, I can barely read what I'm typing right now because my eyes are misty and tearing up. It’s been wonderful writing this, and I’m sure you can see the improvements I've made in my writing as the chapters progress. This story is somewhat a reflection of me, and so close to my heart – I’m so glad that I shared this journey with you. I would love to hear if you enjoyed it, and feel absolutely free to leave a kudos or comment!
> 
> Thank you for giving this story a chance, my friends! Time for me to go to sleep now, haha.
> 
> Peace, Honeywoo💚
> 
> Find me on social media, if you wish:  
> Twitter: [@zeuxiwoo](https://twitter.com/zeuxiwoo?s=09)  
> Curious Cat: [@zeuxiwoo](https://curiouscat.qa/zeuxiwoo)
> 
> P.s. If you're interested, leave any questions you may have in the comment section for an upcoming Q&A chapter! You can ask the characters - or me - whatever you like (but nothing too personal, haha)


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